Alex Pereira has his next fight, and it is a serious one. UFC CEO Dana White announced over the weekend that Pereira will face Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round heavyweight co-main event at UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This was a bold choice. After his heavyweight debut went badly, Pereira did not get an easy reset. He got the division’s No. 2 contender.
Why this matchup matters
Pereira, a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, lost his heavyweight debut to Ciryl Gane by second-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. He has not fought at heavyweight since. Pavlovich is ranked No. 2 in the division and arrives on a three-fight winning streak, including a knockout of Tallison Teixeira.
Pavlovich is a huge puncher, and the fight will tell us quickly whether Pereira belongs at 265 pounds. A win puts him right back near the title picture. A second loss turns the move up in weight into a real problem.
I like the risk. Pereira built his name by taking dangerous fights, and the UFC deserves credit for not hiding him after one loss. If he wants to be a champion in a third division, this is the way to prove it.
The rest of UFC 335
The card is stacked. In the main event, BMF champion Charles Oliveira defends his belt against Diego Lopes. Oliveira won the title at UFC 326 with a five-round unanimous decision over Max Holloway. Lopes, a former featherweight title challenger, makes his lightweight debut.
Joe Pyfer and Bo Nickal are also booked in a middleweight fight. That is a lot of interesting matchups for one December card.
It is worth noting that Pereira is the one carrying the most pressure on the night. Oliveira and Lopes are fighting for a belt that is more about status than a title run. Pereira and Pavlovich are fighting for position in a division with real stakes.
What we still do not know
Details beyond the date and venue are thin. No weigh-in plans or broadcast information have been announced in the sources reviewed, and the UFC has not said whether the heavyweight title picture changes depending on the result.
It also matters that the date is still two months away. Injuries and replacements happen in this sport, and a card like this can change before December. For now, though, the fight is official on paper.
My prediction is that this becomes the card’s biggest talking point, even with a BMF belt in the main event. Pereira against Pavlovich is a heavyweight fight with real consequences, and it is the first time we will see whether his debut loss was a blip or a warning.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
