Alex Pereira’s second heavyweight fight is officially set. The former two-division UFC champion will take on Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on December 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The fight will be five rounds and serve as the co-main event of the card. UFC CEO Dana White first announced the matchup Saturday during Nina Drama’s Kick livestream, before the promotion officially confirmed it during the UFC 332 broadcast.
Pereira is coming off a knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. The fight was largely a one-sided striking affair, but things got controversial after Gane landed 11 illegal shots to the back of Pereira’s head during the finishing sequence.
Pereira called for referee Herb Dean to be suspended after he failed to take a point away from Gane or even issue a warning. However, the controversy has mostly died down now, with Gane becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the title due to his worsening right-eye injury.
TITANS COLLIDE IN VEGAS 🤜💥🤛
@SPavlovich13 and @AlexPereiraUFC meet in the #UFC335 co-main event!
[ LIVE DEC 12 on @ParamountPlus ] https://t.co/xqDljqXju9
— UFC (@ufc) October 4, 2026
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Gane is now set to defend his belt against Josh Hokit at UFC 334, while Pavlovich is looking to put himself right back into the title picture by taking out one of the biggest stars in the UFC.
The Russian heavyweight was once riding a terrifying six-fight knockout streak before running into Aspinall at UFC 295. Pavlovich was knocked out in the first round while fighting for the interim heavyweight title.
Still, Pavlovich has built a strong resume in the UFC. He is 9-3 inside the promotion with seven knockout wins and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. His recent victories have come against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and a recent knockout over win Tallison Teixeira.
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For Pereira, this fight is another chance to prove he belongs among the heavyweight elite. The Brazilian has already captured UFC gold at middleweight and light heavyweight, but heavyweight presents a completely different challenge.
Pavlovich has the kind of raw power that can end a fight in seconds, making this a huge test for Pereira. If the Brazilian can get past him, another run toward heavyweight gold could be right around the corner.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
