Alex Pereira gets next assignment: UFC 335 co-main vs Sergei Pavlovich
Alex Pereira has his next assignment. The former two-division UFC champion is set to face Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round heavyweight co-main event at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to sports.yahoo.com.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the matchup during Saturday night's UFC 332 broadcast, per sports.yahoo.com. No additional details of the fight contract or bout order beyond the announcement are confirmed.
The fight keeps Pereira at heavyweight following his failed bid at UFC Freedom 250 to become the first three-weight champion in promotional history. Pereira (13-4) suffered a second-round knockout loss to Ciryl Gane this past June on the White House's South Lawn, a bout that crowned Gane as the division's interim champion and eventually its undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated. Pereira pushed for an immediate rematch, arguing Gane won using illegal strikes to the back of the head, but the UFC instead booked Gane to defend against Josh Hokit on Nov. 14 at UFC 334.
Pavlovich (21-3) enters on a three-fight win streak, capped by a 39-second knockout of Tallison Teixeira in May. He also holds decision wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and previously challenged Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title in November 2023, losing by knockout in 69 seconds.
With the heavyweight division in flux amid Aspinall's extended injury absence, a win could quickly put "Poatan" back in title position.
PEREIRA'S ROAD TO HEAVYWEIGHT
Pereira’s path to this heavyweight rematch was blocked before it could start. After the June loss to Gane, Pereira argued that the Frenchman won using illegal strikes to the back of the head, per sports.yahoo.com. The legality of those strikes and the outcome of Pereira’s rematch request are not independently confirmed beyond his argument.
The UFC did not grant Pereira another shot at Gane. Instead, the promotion booked Gane to defend his heavyweight title against Josh Hokit on Nov. 14 at UFC 334, according to sports.yahoo.com. That left Pereira to wait for his next assignment, which now arrives as a co-main event slot against Pavlovich.
The June bout itself carried heavy stakes. Gane’s win on the White House’s South Lawn crowned him interim champion, and he later became undisputed after Tom Aspinall vacated, per sports.yahoo.com. Pereira, at 13-4, was denied the chance to reclaim that ground in an immediate rematch.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE FIGHT
Pavlovich (21-3) arrives at UFC 335 on a three-fight win streak, per sports.yahoo.com. That run is capped by a 39-second knockout of Tallison Teixeira in May, a highlight-reel finish that announced the Russian slugger's return to form.
The streak also includes decision victories over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, per sports.yahoo.com. Those wins rebuilt momentum after the most significant setback of his career.
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That setback came in November 2023, when Pavlovich challenged Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title. He lost by knockout in 69 seconds, per sports.yahoo.com — a brutal reminder of how quickly the division's top tier can end a night.
No other fight metrics or rankings for either man are confirmed in the available reporting. What is clear is that Pavlovich brings a different threat than Pereira's last opponent: raw, one-punch power that has ended fights in under a minute twice in his recent stretch.
WHAT A WIN MEANS FOR POATAN
A win over Pavlovich could put Pereira back in title contention quickly, given the uncertainty at heavyweight while Tom Aspinall remains sidelined with an extended injury absence, according to sports.yahoo.com. The exact path to a title shot is not confirmed, but the possibility is real.
The matchup also keeps Pereira at heavyweight following his failed attempt to become the first three-weight champion in promotional history, per sports.yahoo.com. That bid ended in June with a second-round knockout loss to Ciryl Gane. Pereira argued Gane used illegal strikes to the back of the head and pushed for an immediate rematch, but the UFC instead booked Gane to defend his belt against Josh Hokit on Nov. 14 at UFC 334.
Pereira now gets another chance to prove he belongs among the division's elite. Pavlovich brings knockout power that has ended two of his recent fights in under a minute, but he also carries a recent title-fight loss to Aspinall. A decisive win in the co-main event would give Pereira something Gane never had to face: a dangerous, streaking heavyweight with something to prove.
The UFC also announced two other bouts for UFC 335, per sports.yahoo.com. Charles Oliveira faces Diego Lopes for the BMF title in the main event, while Joe Pyfer meets Bo Nickal in a middleweight showdown. That means Pereira and Pavlovich will share the card with two of the promotion's most anticipated matchups, raising the stakes for both men to deliver a statement.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Pereira and Pavlovich are set to open the main card at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, per sports.yahoo.com. The co-main event is scheduled for five rounds, giving Pavlovich the deepest test he has faced since his 69-second knockout loss to Aspinall in November 2023.
The main event that night features Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes for the BMF title, according to sports.yahoo.com. The UFC also announced Joe Pyfer vs. Bo Nickal in a middleweight showdown on the same card, stacking the event with three fights carrying real stakes.
Before Pereira and Pavlovich step into the cage, the heavyweight title picture takes center stage. Ciryl Gane is scheduled to defend his belt against Josh Hokit on Nov. 14 at UFC 334, per sports.yahoo.com. That fight comes roughly one month before UFC 335, and the result will shape what a win over Pavlovich is actually worth.
If Gane retains, Pereira could make a strong case that he deserves the next shot at the champion he believes beat him illegally. If Hokit pulls the upset, the division gets a new champion and a fresh set of matchmaking options. Either way, any potential rematch or title fight after UFC 335 is not confirmed.
Pereira's path is clear for now: beat Pavlovich, then wait. The division's uncertain state — Aspinall's extended injury absence still unresolved — means a decisive victory on Dec. 12 could put "Poatan" one phone call away from another shot at gold.
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