Pereira targets heavyweight redemption against Pavlovich in UFC 335 co-main event

Alex Pereira will look to rebound at heavyweight when he faces Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with both fighters confirming the matchup via Instagram following an official promotional video.

Pereira (13-4) steps back into the heavyweight division after suffering a second-round technical knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June — a defeat that marked his debut at the weight class. The former two-division UFC champion shared an AI-generated video in response to the announcement, captioning it simply: “See you soon.”

Pavlovich (21-3) arrives in considerably sharper form. The Russian heavyweight enters on a three-fight winning streak, most recently knocking out Tallison Teixeira in just 39 seconds at UFC Macau — his first stoppage victory since April 2023. His response to the confirmed booking was equally brief: “Back in action soon.”

The pairing sets up a compelling contrast in momentum. Pereira, widely regarded as one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA history, will need to shake off the rust of a first heavyweight defeat against an opponent who has looked increasingly clinical in recent outings. Pavlovich, meanwhile, has the chance to announce himself as a genuine title contender by handing one of the sport’s biggest names a second consecutive loss at heavyweight.

UFC 335 takes place on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.