Dana White will reveal the name of Alex Pereira‘s next heavyweight opponent on Saturday, live during the UFC 332 broadcast from Salt Lake City. The frontrunner is Russian contender Sergei Pavlovich, four months after Pereira’s heavyweight debut ended in a loss to Ciryl Gane.
A reveal tied to a comment count
The announcement traces back to a joint Instagram video posted by Dana White and streamer Nina Marie Daniele, known online as Nina Drama, who is covering UFC 332 on the Kick platform. Asked whether he would reveal Pereira’s next fight live on her stream Saturday, White answered simply, “Yes.” He had set one condition: the Instagram post needed to reach 25,000 comments. That number was hit within nine hours and has since climbed to 28,500, locking in Saturday night’s reveal.
Sergei Pavlovich, the leading candidate
The name most tied to Pereira is Sergei Pavlovich, currently ranked third in the heavyweight division at 21-3. Pavlovich is coming off a first-round knockout of Tallison Teixeira on May 30, following decision wins over Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. His last two losses came against ranked contenders: a unanimous decision to Alexander Volkov in June 2024, and a first-round knockout loss to Tom Aspinall in an interim title fight at UFC 295 in November 2023.
A career built on kickboxing dominance
Pereira, 39, a Brazilian born in Sao Bernardo do Campo, made his name in Glory kickboxing before signing with the UFC in 2021. He became the first fighter to hold two Glory titles at once, at light heavyweight and middleweight, highlighted by two wins over Israel Adesanya, including a knockout that remains one of the sport’s most replayed highlights. After turning pro at the UFC in November 2021, he won the light heavyweight title by stopping Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November 2023, then defended it three times against Jamahal Hill, Prochazka again, and Khalil Rountree Jr.
He lost the belt by decision to Magomed Ankalaev in March 2025, reclaimed it by first-round stoppage that October, then vacated the title in April 2026 to move up to heavyweight, a division in which he has fought only once so far.
Pereira’s unfinished business with Ciryl Gane
That lone heavyweight fight came against Ciryl Gane (France) for the interim title at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. Pereira lost by second-round stoppage and later criticized referee Herb Dean, arguing that strikes landed to the back of his head went unpunished. Gane has since been elevated to undisputed champion, after Tom Aspinall vacated the title over ongoing medical issues, and defends the belt against unbeaten Josh Hokit on November 14 at UFC 334, inside Madison Square Garden.
Hokit, ranked sixth in the division before his win over Derrick Lewis on that same June card, has since emerged as the division’s top challenger behind Gane, riding consecutive wins over Curtis Blaydes and Lewis. A win for Pereira over Pavlovich would put him back in the conversation for a title shot against the winner of Gane and Hokit.
What a win would mean for the heavyweight picture
Some analysts argue that Alexander Volkov, ranked second in the division and already a decision winner over Pavlovich in June 2024, has a stronger case to be next in line for a title shot. The exact opponent, weight class and fight date are all expected to be confirmed Saturday night, live on Nina Drama’s stream.
Pereira summed up his mindset in a recent interview: “It’s coming. Good news, that’s right, a big challenge. Like I told you, if I hadn’t taken risks in all my fights I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
The reveal also marks another step in the UFC’s growing reliance on independent streamers to build fight week buzz. Nina Drama’s Kick channel is running live coverage around UFC 332 all week, and White’s decision to tie a marquee heavyweight announcement to her audience numbers shows how much weight the promotion now gives to that kind of reach, alongside the traditional build toward Saturday’s Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong title fight in Salt Lake City.
Track the full heavyweight picture on our UFC rankings page and follow the title chase on our 2026 UFC schedule.
