Alex Pereira is sparring with heavyweight fighters as he prepares to transition to the heavyweight division. Video shared on social media shows Pereira working with larger opponents, including a moment where his sparring partner Tallison Teixeira nearly fell from a strike. The footage demonstrates Pereira's preparation for the weight class change. Some observers jokingly suggested he may be softening up potential future opponent Sergei Pavlovich's chin. The training sessions were documented on Pereira's social media.
Alex Pereira is putting in serious work ahead of a reported move to heavyweight, with footage from the light heavyweight champion's training camp showing him sparring against significantly larger opponents.
Video posted to Pereira's social media captures the 38-year-old Brazilian working with heavyweight fighters in preparation for the division jump. One sequence drew particular attention: sparring partner Tallison Teixeira was visibly rocked by a strike during the session, nearly going down from the exchange.
Pereira, who carries a 13-4 record and stands six-foot-four with a 79-inch reach, currently holds the light heavyweight title fighting out of Teixeira MMA and Fitness. He lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 62 percent accuracy, numbers that already rank among the division's most dangerous outputs.
Teixeira — nicknamed Xicao — is a ranked heavyweight at number 13 in the division, bringing a 9-1 record and a substantial size advantage into those sparring rounds. The 26-year-old from Brazil stands six-foot-seven at 201 cm with an 83-inch reach and lands strikes at a 64 percent accuracy rate, making him a legitimate measuring stick for Pereira's heavyweight preparations.
The footage also prompted discussion around third-ranked heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich, with some observers joking that Pereira was previewing his approach to the Russian contender. Pavlovich holds a 20-3 record, stands six-foot-three with an 84-inch reach, and averages 4.43 significant strikes per minute.
Why it matters
- Pereira holding the light heavyweight title while openly preparing for heavyweight creates immediate divisional uncertainty at 205 pounds
- Teixeira's size — seven inches taller and considerably heavier — gives Pereira a realistic gauge of what a true heavyweight frame feels like in close quarters
- Pavlovich sits third in the heavyweight rankings, and any eventual matchup would pit two of the division's heaviest strikers against each other
