Former two-weight UFC champion Alex Pereira will look to rebound from his unsuccessful heavyweight debut against Sergei Pavlovich in December.
Pereira (13-4) will face Pavlovich (21-3) in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas, officials announced Saturday. The UFC has not announced a headliner for the event, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena.
Pereira, 39, vacated his 205-pound championship in February to seek an unprecedented third UFC championship. He faced Ciryl Gane (14-2) for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom Fights 250 in June at the White House and lost via TKO in the second round.
Following the loss, Pereira complained of blows to the back of the head and campaigned for a rematch, but Gane has since been promoted to undisputed champion and will face Josh Hokit in November.
A win figures to elevate Pereira back into title contention, but he'll face a real challenge in former interim title challenger Pavlovich. The 34-year-old heavyweight is 9-3 in the UFC with seven knockouts. He is on a three-fight win streak since 2025, with victories over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Waldo Cortes Acosta and Tallison Teixeira.
While Pereira will serve as the co-main, a BMF lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira (37-11) and Diego Lopes (28-8) will headline the UFC 335 card.
A former lightweight champion, Oliveira will look to build off his five-round decision win over Max Holloway in March. The 36-year-old was expected to compete earlier in 2026 but postponed his return following the unexpected death of his teammate and UFC flyweight Allan Nascimento.
A two-time featherweight title challenger, Lopes will move up to lightweight for the first time in his UFC career.
