Sergei Pavlovich confirmed as reserve fighter for title fight between Jon Jones and Cyril Gane

Russian star Sergei Pavlovich has been confirmed as the reserve fighter for this weekend’s UFC 285 main event.

Heavyweight stars Jon Jones and Cyril Gane are set to square off in a highly anticipated title fight Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.

UFC president Dana White confirmed earlier this week that a heavyweight fighter had been lined up as a backup for the fight, and it has now been revealed that it is Pavlovich.

The news was confirmed by Pavlovich’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, who claimed the Russian heavyweight would weigh in on Friday ahead of the fight.

The UFC praised the decision to have Pavlovich as the backup fighter, given the fact that he is ranked third in the division and an up-and-coming talent among the heavyweights.

Sergei Pavlovich confirmed as backup fighter for this weekend’s UFC main event

Jon Jones will return to the cage for the first time in three years when he faces Cyril Gane

Pavlovic, who last fought in December, is on a five-fight winning streak following his thrilling knockout victory over Ty Tuvasa.

He also picked up an impressive TKO win over Derrick Lewis in July of last year, which kicked off a wild 2022 for the Russian fighter.

Former light heavyweight champion Jones, meanwhile, has not fought since February 2020 and subsequently announced his intention to step up and move up a division.

His last appearance inside the octagon was marred by controversy as several fans suggested he had outmatched Reyes – despite being awarded a unanimous decision.

Jones was expected to return to the UFC and face heavyweight champion Ngannou before the latter rejected an offer that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight of all time.

Gane, on the other hand, won his last fight in convincing fashion, but not before outpointing Francis Ngannou in his first attempt at the heavyweight title.

There were also claims that former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic should have been given the backup role, given the fact that he is second in the division.

However, Miocic’s last appearance in the Octagon came in March 2021, where he suffered a brutal KO loss to former champion Ngannou.

Cyril Gane is set to make his second appearance in a UFC title fight this weekend

Earlier this week, Jon Jones claimed Francis Ngannou was to blame for a heavyweight fight between them not happening.

The pair looked set to lock horns for the heavyweight title until Ngannou parted ways with the UFC last month after failing to agree terms on a new contract.

And Jones says the Cameroonian is to blame as he “didn’t believe in himself” to win, claiming he feels sorry for the fans who were keen for the fight to take place.

“I don’t think I deserve any criticism,” Jones told RMC Sport. ‘I am here. Francis had a chance to face me and he blew it.’