“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Israel Adesanya said, teasing Alex Pereira for pre-programming an exit strategy ahead of his upcoming bout against Sergei Pavlovich. After the setback against Ciryl Gane, Pereira believes a move down to the 205 pounds, where he was a champion, remains an alternate if Pavlovich hands him a second defeat at the heavyweight division. To Adesanya, planning this far ahead is almost comical.

“I saw a clip of Pereira saying if he loses to Pavlovich, he’s going back down to 205,” Adesanya reportedly said, as quoted by MMA Junkie. “I don’t like that. I don’t like that he’s putting that out there. Because what the f*ck you mean, ‘If I lose’? I don’t know why he’s taking this fight.”

Adesanya’s comments stem from the statement Pereira recently gave. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Pereira suggested a move down to the light heavyweight division if things go south when he faces Pavlovich at UFC 335 on December 12, 2026.

“Pavlovich is a dangerous guy. I’ve always said this—I want to win, but I can lose too. If I lose, I’m not going to stay at heavyweight. Everyone knows I’m lighter than all those heavyweights. So I’m not going to keep trying to match their strength when I could do something else and be better off,” Pereira said.

Though a ranked heavyweight contender, Pereira’s run hasn’t been encouraging. While making his heavyweight debut at the White House event, he suffered a defeat to Gane. A loss to Pavlovich will leave Pereira with a divisional record of 0-2, which does not bode well for his future, raising questions over his plans to become UFC’s first three-division champion.

Pereira’s latest comments come after he revealed his intention to remain in the heavyweight division and face the top contenders before a shot at the title.

The path to a championship win in the heavyweight division is not as easy as it sounds. Besides Gane, all the top contenders, including Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, who is coming off a win over Rizvan Kuniev, and Josh Hokit, pose significant risk to Pereira.

The UFC is reportedly exploring a potential matchup between Pereira and Hokit, who remains unbeaten and is set to face Gane on November 14 at Madison Square Garden.

Given the stakes involved, Pereira likely realized the road ahead is laden with perils.

Alex Pereira: When cutting weight became a career move

This is not the first time Pereira suggested moving down to a division in case things didn’t go his way.

Reports indicate that two years ago, after Dricus Du Plessis defended his title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, Pereira, who held the 205-pound title at the time, suggested cutting down his weight to reclaim the middleweight championship from the South African.

“Regardless of the result (of my next fight), I want to go down one more time to the middleweight and go for the belt. Hey Dricus, bring your will to fight me so you can prove that you are better than me…” he reportedly posted on Instagram.

With more than 45 days left before he meets Pavlovich, few expected Pereira to reflect on his heavyweight future, contemplating a defeat. That explains why Adesanya sounded so skeptical.

While he has faced Pereira on four occasions, suffering losses in three, Adesanya, the former two-time middleweight champion, has kept the rivalry alive by criticizing the Brazilian frequently.

The most notable incident emerged after Pereira won the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 295. When he called out Adesanya, who had previously knocked him out at UFC 287, to move up and face him at 205 pounds, the Lagos-born fighter mocked him by saying, “Last time I checked, you were f*cking slept.”

It appears to be the first time Adesanya reflected on Pereira from a tactical standpoint rather than a mere historic rivalry built across different platforms.