Alex Pereira dumped his sparring partner one month before Sergei Pavlovich 😳 Poatan posted this round with Julian Fernandez: tight clinch work, kicks to the body, and one trip that put his partner flat on the mat. Next up is Pavlovich at heavyweight in the UFC 335 co-main, against one of the hardest punchers in the division. Can Poatan win a belt in a third weight class? 🎥 @alexpoatanpereira on IG #AlexPereira #UFC335 #SergeiPavlovich
Alex Pereira is putting in the work for his heavyweight debut. The Brazilian posted footage of a sparring round with Julian Fernandez roughly a month before he meets Sergei Pavlovich in the UFC 335 co-main event.
The clip shows tight clinch work, kicks to the body and one trip that left his training partner flat on the mat. The takedown stands out because Pereira is not known as a grappler.
Pereira, nicknamed Poatan, is 13-4-0 and ranks third at light heavyweight. The 39-year-old from Brazil trains out of Teixeira MMA & Fitness and fights orthodox. He lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 62 percent accuracy. His takedown average is just 0.11 per 15 minutes, so a trip in sparring is the exception, not his habit.
His most recent recorded fight was a second-round KO/TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in a title fight at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026. Before that, he stopped Magomed Ankalaev in the first round at UFC 320 on October 4, 2025, after losing a unanimous decision to Ankalaev at UFC 313 that March.
Pavlovich is 20-3-0 and ranks third at heavyweight. The 34-year-old Russian from Eagles MMA fights southpaw and lands 4.43 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy. He has not lost in his three most recent recorded fights, and the latest was a first-round KO/TKO of Tallison Teixeira on May 30, 2026. He beat Waldo Cortes Acosta by unanimous decision in August 2025 and Jairzinho Rozenstruik by the same method that February.
Why it matters
- Size: Pavlovich is an inch shorter at 191 cm against Pereira's 193 cm, but owns a five-inch reach advantage, 84 inches to 79.
- Style: Pereira's accuracy is 18 points higher, while Pavlovich is a southpaw facing an orthodox opponent.
- Stakes: Both men are ranked third in their respective divisions, and Pereira is trying to move up a weight class and win a belt there.
The 5-inch reach gap is among the clearest numbers in the matchup. Clinch work and body kicks, as shown in the sparring clip, are one way a shorter-armed fighter can close that distance.
Alex Pereira vs Sergei Pavlovich
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