Charles Oliveira will defend the UFC’s BMF title against Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 335 in Las Vegas on 12 December, with Alex Pereira also returning at heavyweight against Sergei Pavlovich.
The UFC announced the leading bouts for the event during its UFC 332 broadcast, according to MMA Fighting. Oliveira and Lopes will meet at lightweight at T-Mobile Arena, while Pereira and Pavlovich have been scheduled for a five-round co-main event. A middleweight contest between Joe Pyfer and Bo Nickal has also been confirmed.
The card places Oliveira’s first BMF title defence alongside Pereira’s second outing at heavyweight. It also gives Lopes an immediate high-profile assignment in his first UFC bout above featherweight.
Oliveira to defend BMF belt against Lopes
Oliveira won the BMF title with a decision over Max Holloway at UFC 326, according to MMA Mania. The Brazilian is on a two-fight winning run and will now defend the belt against Lopes, who is moving up for his lightweight debut.
Lopes most recently knocked out Steve Garcia, MMA Fighting reported. Before that move in weight, the report said Lopes had challenged Alexander Volkanovski twice for the featherweight championship without winning either contest.
The booking therefore gives Lopes a title opportunity in his first appearance at 155lb, while Oliveira enters with experience of competing as a former lightweight champion. It is a notable shift in assignment for Lopes.
Early betting prices released by BetOnline installed Oliveira as favourite. MMA Fighting reported an opening line of -172 for Oliveira and +146 for Lopes, before saying subsequent wagering moved Oliveira to -148 and Lopes to +126. Those figures reflect the market at the time reported rather than an indication of how the bout will end.
Pereira stays at heavyweight for Pavlovich test
Pereira’s meeting with Pavlovich will be his second heavyweight appearance. The former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion was stopped by Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut, according to MMA Fighting.
Rather than returning to a previous division, Pereira has remained at heavyweight for a bout with Pavlovich, who has won three consecutive fights since defeats by Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov. The Mac Life reported that Pavlovich’s most recent victory was a knockout of Tallison Teixeira in May.
The matchup offers Pereira an opportunity to respond after the Gane defeat against an opponent arriving with recent momentum. For Pavlovich, it is another prominent contest as he attempts to work back towards heavyweight title contention, as described by The Mac Life.
BetOnline’s opening market made Pavlovich a narrow favourite at -130, with Pereira at +111, MMA Fighting reported. The same outlet said money subsequently pushed Pavlovich to -164. As with the Oliveira-Lopes line, the movement is only an early assessment from bettors and does not settle the competitive questions posed by the fight.
Pyfer and Nickal add middleweight depth
The UFC has also announced Pyfer against Nickal at middleweight. Pyfer has won four fights in succession and is coming off a knockout victory over former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in March, according to MMA Fighting.
Nickal has won two straight since the first defeat of his professional career, with his latest result a stoppage of Kyle Daukaus, the report added. BetOnline opened Pyfer as a -130 favourite, while Nickal was listed at +111.
The reports identify three announced matchups, with additional bouts expected before the Las Vegas event. For now, UFC 335 has a main event built around Oliveira’s belt defence, a heavyweight return for Pereira and a meeting between two middleweights carrying winning runs into December.