Pereira to Face Pavlovich in UFC 335 Co-Main Event

The UFC has booked Alex Pereira to face Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas, setting up a heavyweight matchup between former two-division champion Pereira and a contender coming off a knockout win. The promotion announced the bout during UFC 332 on October 3, according to reports published the following day. The card’s main event has not been confirmed in the supplied reporting. The fight is Pereira’s next appearance after a second-round technical knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Pereira had moved to heavyweight after winning championships at middleweight and light heavyweight, with the goal of pursuing a title in a third division. He had most recently reclaimed the light heavyweight title with a first-round TKO of Magomed Ankalaev before vacating it to compete at heavyweight. Pereira has argued that illegal strikes contributed to the finish against Gane. That allegation is attributed to Pereira and is not independently established in the available reporting.