Charles Oliveira backs Alex Pereira to knock out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335

Oliveira, who defends his BMF title against Diego Lopes on the same Las Vegas card on 12 December, said Pavlovich does not defend against kicks.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Thu 29 Oct, 15:53 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Charles Oliveira has backed his longtime friend Alex Pereira to knock out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335. He said the Russian's weakness against kicks gives Pereira a route to victory.

The two Brazilians fill the top two fights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 12 December. Oliveira defends his BMF title against Diego Lopes, and Pereira looks for his first heavyweight win against Pavlovich.

Oliveira accepted that Pereira faces a dangerous opponent. He said: “Pavlovich is a very tough guy, a heavy hitter, a big guy, a strong guy, but Poatan is Poatan.” He pointed to the stand-up exchanges as the key: “It’s a very dangerous fight, I know that, but Pavlovich doesn’t defend against kicks, and Poatan kicks a lot.” Oliveira said the outcome would depend on Pereira landing first with the right timing, adding: “In reality, if he manages to connect and gets his timing right first, it will definitely be another great knockout.” The pair have known each other for more than a decade and last shared a card at UFC 300 in Las Vegas in April 2024. On that night Pereira knocked out Jamahal Hill moments after Oliveira lost a close split decision to Arman Tsarukyan.

Oliveira is now on a two-fight winning streak, with wins over Mateusz Gamrot and Max Holloway. After both wins he called for a huge football stadium event in Brazil and said he wanted Pereira on the bill. Sharing the Las Vegas card goes part of the way towards that wish.

In this story

Charles Oliveira Alex Pereira Sergei Pavlovich Diego Lopes Jamahal Hill Arman Tsarukyan Mateusz Gamrot Max Holloway