The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced significant bookings for UFC 335, scheduled for Saturday, December 12, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be headlined by Charles Oliveira defending the BMF title against Diego Lopes, with a pivotal heavyweight clash between Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich serving as the co-main event.
Oliveira Defends BMF Title Against Lopes
Charles Oliveira, currently ranked as the number three lightweight in the UFC, will make his first defense of the BMF title against Diego Lopes. Oliveira, 36, captured the symbolic BMF belt in March 2026 at UFC 326, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Max Holloway in a lightweight contest. This win extended Oliveira's UFC win streak to one before his next booked fight, following a submission victory over Mateusz Gamrot in October 2025. Prior to that, Oliveira's UFC record stood at 25 wins and 11 losses across 36 UFC fights.
Diego Lopes, 31, enters this BMF title bout with a UFC record of 7 wins and 3 losses from 10 UFC appearances. Lopes, who is ranked as the number two featherweight, will be making his debut in the lightweight division for this championship opportunity. His most recent outing in June 2026 saw him secure a knockout victory against Steve Garcia. Before that, Lopes faced Alexander Volkanovski twice in 2025, losing both encounters by unanimous decision, in January and April respectively. Lopes, an orthodox fighter like Oliveira, possesses a reach of 72 inches, slightly less than Oliveira's 74 inches.
Pereira Faces Pavlovich in Heavyweight Showdown
In the co-main event, former two-division champion Alex Pereira will step into the octagon for a five-round heavyweight bout against Sergei Pavlovich. The booking of Pereira versus Pavlovich was revealed by UFC President Dana White during UFC 332, following a social media campaign where a joint Instagram video garnered over 28,500 comments.
Alex Pereira, 38, holds a UFC record of 10 wins and 3 losses from 13 UFC fights. He is currently ranked as the number three light heavyweight and number ten in the men's pound-for-pound rankings. Pereira's last fight in June 2026 at UFC Freedom 250 marked his heavyweight debut, where he suffered a knockout loss to Ciryl Gane. Prior to that, in October 2025, Pereira secured a knockout victory over Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira, known for his striking, has a reach of 79 inches and maintains a takedown defense accuracy of 79%.
UFC 335 is set to conclude the year's numbered events with these high-stakes matchups in Las Vegas.
By the numbers
| Fighter | UFC record | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Oliveira | 25-11-0 | Lightweight #3 |
| Diego Lopes | 7-3-0 | Featherweight #2 |
| Alex Pereira | 10-3-0 | Light Heavyweight #3 |
UFC records count UFC fights only. Records and rankings from UFC Stats and ufc.com.
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