Pavlovich vs Pereira Preview: Reach and Knockdowns vs Volume and Accuracy

Two heavyweights with zero submission wins between them, and two very different routes to the finish. Sergei Pavlovich (21-3-0), the #3 heavyweight, meets Alex "Poatan" Pereira (13-4-0) at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pavlovich is 34 and debuted in the Octagon in November 2018. Pereira made his UFC debut in November 2021, and while he isn't ranked at heavyweight yet, he does hold a spot on the pound-for-pound list.

Pavlovich's numbers are built around early violence. He has 16 wins by knockout and 16 first-round finishes, his knockdown average is a heavy 1.89, and his UFC fights last 5:17 on average. Knockouts account for 76% of his wins; the other five came on the scorecards. He also brings the reach: 84 inches, five more than Pereira's 79, despite standing an inch shorter at 6'3" to Pereira's 6'4".

Pereira's case rests on volume and precision. He lands 5.01 significant strikes per minute at 61% accuracy, against Pavlovich's 4.49 at 45%. His knockdown average is lower at 0.75, but 11 of his 13 wins, or 85%, have come by KO/TKO. His fights run longer, averaging 10:42, and he has five first-round finishes. Defensively, the two are close: Pavlovich absorbs 3.58 a minute with 56% striking defense, Pereira 3.72 with 53%.

Don't expect much wrestling. Pavlovich averages 0.47 takedowns per 15 minutes and zero submission attempts; Pereira sits at 0.11 and 0.22. Both defend takedowns well, Pavlovich at 75% and Pereira at 80%. Their striking splits are nearly identical, too: 82% of Pavlovich's significant strikes come standing, 81% of Pereira's. Pereira does a bit more in the clinch (10% to 7%), Pavlovich a bit more on the ground (11% to 8%). It comes down to this: can Pereira survive the opening minutes against the longer, harder-hitting man and drag the fight into the stretch where his output and accuracy start to tell?

The early prelims start at 2 p.m. local time, the prelims at 4 p.m. and the main card at 6 p.m. Get your seat: Pavlovich vs Pereira tickets.