Pereira says he'll drop back to light heavyweight if he loses to Pavlovich

'I don't want to keep getting hit at a disadvantage'

Would seek immediate title shot upon return to 205-pound division

Alex Pereira (left) walks back to his corner after the first round of his bout against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June. Gane, who opened a cut on Pereira's face, appears relaxed as he strokes his opponent's cheek, while a visibly shaken Pereira looks dazed. [Getty Images]

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira (39, Brazil) has hinted he may abandon his heavyweight campaign and return to light heavyweight. He said he would drop back down if he loses to Sergei Pavlovich (34, Russia) in December.

Pereira made the remarks on a recent episode of the podcast "Connect Cast." "If I lose to Pavlovich, I won't stay at heavyweight," he said. "I think going back to light heavyweight is the most ideal option."

"Everyone knows I'm not as big as the other heavyweights," he added. "I have no intention of continuing to take punishment at that kind of disadvantage. Going back to the division where I competed more comfortably is the best move."

Pereira is scheduled to face Pavlovich in a five-round heavyweight co-main event at UFC 335, set for Dec. 13 (Korean Standard Time) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

After capturing titles at middleweight and light heavyweight, Pereira vacated the light heavyweight belt in February to pursue a historic third divisional title, which would have made him the UFC's first three-division champion. The bid got off to a rough start, however, as he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane (36, France) at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June, falling short in his heavyweight debut and failing to claim the interim title.

Alex Pereira at a White House event [Getty Images]

Pereira had called for an immediate rematch with Gane, but it did not materialize. Instead, he will make his second heavyweight appearance against Pavlovich, who is riding a three-fight winning streak. At a May event in Macao, Pavlovich knocked out Talissson Teixeira of Brazil just 39 seconds into the opening round.

Pereira expects Pavlovich to come out pressing with heavy punches early or look to drain his energy through wrestling, but said he is well prepared and confident of victory. He also said a return to light heavyweight would come with an immediate title shot.

The current light heavyweight champion is Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand, who claimed the vacant belt by knocking out Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic at UFC 327 in April, but has yet to make his first title defense after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

A loss to Pavlovich would leave Pereira with an 0-2 record at heavyweight. A win, on the other hand, would give him a platform to re-enter the heavyweight title picture.

yjc@heraldcorp.com