Prospect Sergei Pavlovich will be on duty in case a late replacement for UFC 285’s main event is needed.
UFC 285 has an official backup plan for its main event. Though the promotion hopes that neither Jon Jones or Ciryl Gane will need to withdraw from the card, they seem to be prepared for an emergency. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, prospect Sergei Pavlovich is officially on duty to be a last-minute replacement for the headliner
Sergei Pavlovich is the heavyweight backup to this week’s UFC 285 main event, per his manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00). Dana White mentioned last weekend there is a backup in place. Pavlovich will weigh-in on Friday in Vegas, per Abdelaziz.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 27, 2023
Currently on a five-fight winning streak, Pavlovich (17-1) scored knockout wins over Marcelo Golm, Maurice Greee, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Derrick Lewis and most recently. in December 2022, Tai Tuivasa. The 30-year-old’s last and sole loss took place in his Octagon debut, when he got TKO’d by Alistair Overeem, in November 2018.
Now, Pavlovich will be the backup man for UFC 285’s main event, which features a title fight for the heavyweight division vacant belt, between former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former interim title-holder Ciryl Gane. The card is scheduled to take place on March 4, in Las Vegas, Nevada.