Miocic On Pereira's Heavyweight Future After UFC Freedom Loss

Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic believes Alex Pereira will capture a third divisional belt despite a rough start in the big-man ranks.

Pereira dropped his heavyweight debut via TKO to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250, leading many to assume he would retreat to light heavyweight. Instead, the former two-division champion accepted a December co-main slot against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335. Few expect him to dominate the dangerous Russian, but Miocic counts himself among the believers.

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Miocic Backs Pereira To Rebound At UFC 335

In a conversation with Athlon Sports, Miocic said Pereira has already done more than enough to earn the benefit of the doubt. "I think he can win a third belt," he told the outlet, per Bloody Elbow. "I won a belt at 38. I think he'll be fine. He's tough. That was his first time fighting in the big boy class, and I think he's shown he's ready to do it. He knows what to expect."

Miocic, who retired following a TKO loss to Jon Jones at UFC 309, added that Pereira is already operating at championship level. The Brazilian captured belts at middleweight and heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight before moving up, most recently stopping Khalil Rountree Jr. and Magomed Ankalaev in back-to-back defences before the Gane setback.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC 335 on Ticketmaster →

UFC 335 takes place in December. Miocic is expected to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2027, with a potential announcement at UFC Cleveland.

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• BJPenn — Stipe Miocic expects Alex Pereira to ‘make history’ despite disastrous heavyweight start