Ultimate Fighting Championship‘s heavyweight match.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face off Sergei Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC 335 Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile
Josh Hockey (10-0) will face off Cyril Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC 334 November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a grudge match against Hokit, but he sees Pavlovic’s booking as a favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains the frustrations of UFC matchups and why Sergey Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane in an interim title fight by TKO.
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said the promotion was discussing a title rematch with Gane or a fight against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized Poatan.
Pereira considers Hoki an easier opponent than Pavlovic. Still, he said a chat with UFC executive Hunter Campbell resolved his frustration and he’s now looking forward to the December bout.
“What bothered me more at the time was that they told me I was probably going to fight Gane for the belt or Hokit,” Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then nothing happened. Coming off the loss, it would be much, much easier for me to fight Hokit than Pavlovic, who was supposed to be a tougher fight. Hokit would be much easier for me. We got together (with Hunter Campbell), we talked, we cleared things up, so everything was fine. Pavlovic is actually a bit more dangerous, I see the opponent as a very good fight for me.”
Alex Pereira reveals what went into the UFC’s decision not to ban him Cyril Gane
or Josh Hockey: “What made me more nervous at the time was that I was told that I would probably fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit. And then nothing happened. Because of the loss, it would be much, much easier for me to fight Hokit than Pavlovic, who was supposed to be a tougher fight. Hoki would be much easier. We camp, we fought a lot easier (for me). Pavlovic is a bit more dangerous opponent, but looking technically today, I see that it is also very good for me fight.— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
