Pereira Stays at Heavyweight, Draws Pavlovich in UFC 335 Co-Main

Alex Pereira isn't done chasing heavyweight. The former two-division champ returns against Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a booking announced during Saturday's UFC 332 card. It's a fast turnaround for a guy who just got stopped in his last outing.

Pereira, 13-4 with 11 of those wins by knockout, came up short in June trying to become the first three-division champion in UFC history. Ciryl Gane — now the division's champion and the sport's No. 1-ranked heavyweight — put him away in the second round at the UFC White House event. Rather than retreat to light heavyweight, where he still sits at No. 3, Pereira is staying put. A win here likely keeps him in the title conversation.

Pavlovich's Climb Back

On the other side is a man who's been rebuilding his own case. Pavlovich's title ambitions stalled in 2023 when Tom Aspinall beat him for the interim heavyweight belt, and he dropped a second straight decision to Alexander Volkov right after. Volkov, for context, is currently ranked No. 2 at heavyweight and carries a 40-11 record — so that loss hasn't aged badly.

Since those back-to-back setbacks, Pavlovich has reeled off three consecutive wins, capped by a knockout over Tallison Teixeira in May. This is comfortably his biggest name opportunity to date. Beat a crossover star like Pereira and he's right back in the mix.

What's on the Line

The stakes are straightforward. Pereira is a KO merchant who brutalized light heavyweight before moving up, and Pavlovich is one of the hardest hitters in the division. Both men want the same thing: a path back to gold at a weight class that just got a new champion in Gane, who's booked to defend against Josh Hokit at UFC 334.

Expect fireworks. Two heavy-handed finishers, five rounds, and a title shot dangling over the winner — there's no version of this that drags. December's shaping up nicely.