Teixeira ahead of UFC 335: Pavlovich is a better fit for Pereira than Gane
Pereira's coach Glover Teixeira believes Sergei Pavlovich is the easier opponent because he moves less than Ciryl Gane. He does not expect a fifth round.
Archive image · Photo: Senate Democrats / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Glover Teixeira, Alex Pereira's coach and mentor, likes his fighter's chances against Sergei Pavlovich. “It's a better matchup for 'Poatan' compared to Ciryl Gane's style,” the former UFC light heavyweight champion told Sherdog. “Gane moves around more, while Pavlovich tends to stay more planted.” Pereira and Pavlovich meet in the co-main event of UFC 335 on 12 December in Las Vegas.
Pereira's heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250 in June ended in a second-round TKO loss to Gane, now the heavyweight champion. “To win, 'Poatan' needs to fight the right fight, maintain his distance and be faster,” Teixeira said. He does not expect the fight to reach a fifth round, and said the goal remains a third UFC title.
Teixeira's view contrasts with that of Alexander Volkov, who according to Sherdog called Pavlovich a very hard matchup for Pereira's style a few days ago.