Alex Pereira faces Sergei Pavlovich in 5-round co-main event at UFC 335

Former two-division champion Alex Pereira is returning to heavyweight for another title shot opportunity when he faces Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 on December 12 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The announcement came during UFC 332 on Saturday. Pereira, who previously conquered light heavyweight and middleweight, attempted to become the first three-division UFC champion at heavyweight but fell short with a knockout loss to current heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at the UFC White House card in June. Staying at heavyweight, Pereira hopes a win over Pavlovich will put him back in title contention. Pavlovich, meanwhile, is also chasing another title opportunity after a difficult stretch. He lost an interim heavyweight title fight to Tom Aspinall in 2023 and dropped a decision to Alexander Volkov but has since rebounded with three consecutive wins, including a knockout over Tallison Teixeira in May. This matchup between two heavyweights seeking their way back to gold should serve as a significant litmus test for both men. UFC 335 is expected to add more fights in the coming days.