The final numbered UFC event of 2026 has a pair of headliners set, and some of the promotion's most familiar names will be in action at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. In the main event, Charles Oliveira will put the ceremonial BMF championship on the line against Diego Lopes, while former middleweight and two-time light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will face Sergei Pavlovich in heavyweight action. The pair of fights were announced on Saturday during the UFC 332 broadcast.
Oliveira is coming off a dominant BMF title win over Max Holloway at UFC 326 in March. Some fans felt that Oliveira's win was not in the spirit of the BMF belt, as he used takedowns and ground control to completely neutralize Holloway's vaunted striking game. That said, Oliveira has one of the deepest histories of true "BMF action," having set the record for most UFC wins by submission (17), by finish (21), and most post-fight bonuses (14).
A former lightweight champion, Oliveira transitioned from a solid part of the roster to one of the elite fighters in one of the deepest divisions in the sport. In Lopes, Oliveira faces a fighter who, since losing his Octagon debut, has steadily climbed the featherweight ranks. While Lopes has proven a force at 145 pounds, he has twice come up short in opportunities to become champion, losing twice to Alexander Volkanovski in title fights.
UFC 335 will mark Lopes' lightweight debut. Pereira came up short in a historic bid to become a three-division UFC champion at UFC Freedom 250 when he was stopped by Ciryl Gane in a fight for the interim heavyweight title. Prior to that fight, Pereira vacated the light heavyweight belt in the middle of his second reign as champ.
Pereira had won middleweight gold by knocking out old kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya before losing the belt back in the rematch. He then moved to light heavyweight where he became a dominant champion outside of a decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira avenged the Ankalaev loss and regained his title in their immediate rematch, taking just 80 seconds to score a stoppage.
Pavlovich has become a mainstay of the heavyweight rankings, compiling a 9-3 UFC record. Those three losses came to top heavyweight fighters Alistair Overeem, Tom Aspinall (for the interim heavyweight title) and Alexander Volkov.
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