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While some aren’t sold on Alex Pereira being able to withstand the size difference against Sergei Pavlovich, one legendary UFC name is going against the grain.

Pereira is scheduled to collide with Pavlovich on the UFC 335 card, which is set for Dec. 12. It’s a crucial fight for “Poatan,” who is hoping to stick around in the heavyweight division in a continued bid to win UFC gold in a third weight class. He fell short in an interim heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane back in June, suffering a second-round TKO loss.

Some prominent names within the MMA world, such as Michael Bisping and longtime head coach Ray Longo aren’t convinced that Pereira can handle elite heavyweights. During a recent edition of “Deep Waters,” Chris Weidman disagreed with that notion (via MMAJunkie).

“I’ve got to go for Pereira, man,” Weidman said. “I just feel like his back’s against the wall right now. He’s so upset and frustrated, chip on the shoulder coming off this loss. Every time he’s lost, he came back and won.

“He lost to Izzy (Adesanya), goes up to 205, did his thing up there. Pereira’s got that championship mindset. I’m going to say he figures it out, but man it’s a tough fight. It’s a tough fight to call. … I think the game changer for Pereira is calf kicks. I think the kicks – I think he could out-kick him and kind of stay out of boxing range to start the fight and kind of cut down the legs of Pavlovich.”

Pereira opened as a slight underdog against Pavlovich. Whether or not the odds will shift closer to fight night remains to be seen. Regardless, the general consensus is that Pereira’s back is against the wall as far as the heavyweight division is concerned, but one vintage performance can change the narrative.

What are your thoughts on Alex Pereira in the heavyweight division? Is he too undersized to become a champion in the weight class? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM