Days After Dana White’s Announcement, Prominent MMA Manager Reveals Mystery Backup for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane

The fight week for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane is officially here and the excitement could not be higher. To add to the excitement, Dana White revealed during the UFC Vegas 70 press conference that they had indeed planned a backup for the UFC 285 main event. However, White sprinkled a bit of mystery on the affair by refusing to name the backup fighter.

In spite of White’s efforts, the cat is now out of the bag. Prominent MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has revealed the name of the mystery heavyweight, who will weigh in to be the replacement for the main event should any surprises take place.

Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane goes down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4. The debuting heavyweight Jones will compete for the vacant divisional title against Gane in the main event. If something changes drastically and the backup fighter steps in, then fans could have another banger fight for the evening.

Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane backup fighter revealed

According to Ali Abdelaziz, #3 ranked UFC heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich will be the backup for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. The 30-year-old will weigh in with the rest of the UFC 285 card fighters and will be ready to step in on short notice if the need arises.

Pavlovich will be a different profile from what both Jones and Gane have been preparing for. The Russian heavyweight is a heavy hitter with a 17-1 record. Fourteen of those wins came via knockouts and all of them were in the first round.

Pavlovich’s recent exploits include a first-round win over fan favorite Tai Tuivasa in December 2022. Before that, he beat Derrick Lewis in July 2022 in another first-round knockout finish.

Read More– Three of Jon Jones’ Past Opponents Set for UFC 285 Broadcast Team

While Abdelaziz revealed Pavlovich as the backup for UFC 285, that is not the only announcement about him that released recently.

Pavlovich has another fight booked

News broke this past week that a fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes was in the works for April. According to reports, the #3 and #4 ranked heavyweights will duke it out in a main event on April 22. However, this could change if Pavlovich ends up fighting for the title on March 4.

If things stay the same, the winner of Pavlovich vs. Blaydes could start campaigning for a title shot. However, that may not be an easy feat, as Jon Jones already has his next opponent in mind if he wins at UFC 285.

Watch This Story– Has Ciryl Gane ever lost in MMA?

What are your thoughts about Pavlovich being the UFC 285 backup? Are you interested to see him fight for the title if the need arises? Let us know in the comment below.