Alex Pereira Faces Sergei Pavlovich in UFC 335 Heavyweight Co-Main
Alex Pereira returns to heavyweight against Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 in Las Vegas this December.
Alex Pereira is headed back to heavyweight. The former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion will face Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 in Las Vegas this December, per Yahoo Sports. The booking was announced during the UFC 332 broadcast on Saturday night.
The fight marks Pereira's return since his knockout loss to heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House in June. That defeat ended Pereira's bid for a third divisional title and raised questions about how the Brazilian knockout artist would fare long-term against the division's true heavyweights.
Pavlovich brings exactly the kind of danger that makes this matchup appointment viewing. The Russian has won three straight since dropping back-to-back fights to Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov, including a knockout of Tallison Teixeira in May. At his best, Pavlovich is one of the most explosive first-round finishers in the sport. He and Pereira both hunt for the early knockout, which means this fight is unlikely to go deep into those five rounds.
For Pereira, the five-round co-main event slot signals the UFC still views him as a top attraction despite the Gane setback. A win over a surging Pavlovich would put him right back in heavyweight title contention. A loss would leave his future at the weight class in serious doubt.
UFC 335 is expected to receive additional fight announcements in the coming weeks. The card already shapes up as one of the biggest of the year with Pereira's star power anchoring the co-main event.
I love this fight. Two guys who would rather knock you unconscious than go to a scorecard, matched up in a five-rounder that probably does not see the third. Pereira looked human against Gane, no question, but Pavlovich is a completely different animal. He stands right in front of you and swings for the fence. That plays into Pereira's power game way more than Gane's length and movement did.
Pavlovich is dangerous early, but if Pereira can weather the first five minutes, I think his technical striking takes over. The guy finished Prochazka twice, ran through Adesanya, and knocked out Jiri at heavyweight. One loss to the champion does not erase all that.
If I am putting money on this, I am looking at Pereira by finish in rounds two or three. Pavlovich tends to fade when he cannot get the early stoppage, and Pereira only gets sharper as the fight goes on. December in Vegas with Poatan on the card? I will be there.
