Breaking: Ali Abdelaziz names fighter selected as backup for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane title fight

UFC icon Jon Jones is set to end his three-year MMA hiatus and return to fight Ciryl Gane in the headlining matchup at UFC 285 on March 4, 2023.

Making his debut in the heavyweight division, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jones will face former interim UFC heavyweight champion Gane for the vacant, undisputed UFC heavyweight title.

There's been widespread speculation that the UFC might rope in a backup/replacement fighter for the all-important matchup in case 'Bones' or Ciryl Gane withdraw at the last minute.

On that note, MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz has now seemingly revealed that one of his clients will serve as the backup fighter for the heavyweight title fight.

UFC on BT Sport

@btsportufc

𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦. 𝗜𝗦. 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞! 🤯

@JonnyBones @ciryl_gane is ON for the UFC Heavyweight Championship!

#UFC285

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𝗕𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦. 𝗜𝗦. 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞! 🤯

@JonnyBones 🆚 @ciryl_gane is ON for the UFC Heavyweight Championship! 🏆

#UFC285 https://t.co/3V0gElgjrJ

As tweeted by MMA journalist Lewis Simpson of Combat Sports UK and bjpenndotcom, Ali Abdelaziz has confirmed that his client Sergei Pavlovich will be the backup fighter for Jones vs. Gane.

Addressing the same, Simpson put forth a tweet that read as follows:

"Sergei Pavlovich will act as the back-up fighter for the #UFC285 main event between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. Per his manager @AliAbdelaziz00"

Lewis Simpson

@LewisSimpsonMMA

Sergei Pavlovich will act as the back-up fighter for the #UFC285 main event between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.

Per his manager @AliAbdelaziz00

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Sergei Pavlovich will act as the back-up fighter for the #UFC285 main event between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.

Per his manager @AliAbdelaziz00 https://t.co/3sBDdAhLvg

The consensus is that should Jones or Gane pull out of their UFC 285 headliner owing to an injury or other issue, rising heavyweight star Sergei Pavlovich could step in and compete in the heavyweight title fight. As of this writing, the UFC hasn't officially announced Pavlovich as the backup fighter for the Jones-Gane matchup.

Besides, as reported by ESPN, the UFC is finalizing a heavyweight matchup between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes that'll headline the UFC Fight Night card on April 22, 2023. It's currently unclear as to whether Pavlovich's reported UFC 285 backup booking could impact his expected clash against Blaydes.

ESPN MMA

@espnmma

Top-5 heavyweights are set to take center stage

UFC is finalizing a heavyweight matchup between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes to headline an event on April 22, multiple sources told @bokamotoESPN.

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Top-5 heavyweights are set to take center stage 👊

UFC is finalizing a heavyweight matchup between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes to headline an event on April 22, multiple sources told @bokamotoESPN. https://t.co/7ZFmVPCLQV

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Joe Rogan on a potential fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Jon Jones

On episode #134 of the JRE MMA Show, Joe Rogan lauded Sergei Pavlovich as a "very good" fighter, besides also discussing a possible clash between him and Jon Jones.

He indicated that with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou having parted ways with the UFC, Pavlovich is one of, if not the most interesting, UFC heavyweights.

Watch the podcast episode below:

Furthermore, the MMA analyst and veteran UFC commentator suggested that Sergei Pavlovich could potentially give a tough fight to the legendary 'Bones.'

Highlighting that he'd love to see the Russian KO artist face Jon Jones at heavyweight, Joe Rogan stated:

“Pavlovich. That’s the boy. Sergei Pavlovich. That motherf***er. That’s the Russian Francis [Ngannou]. He comes out guns blazing on people, just like Francis used to. That motherf***er can bomb. I’m very interested to see him fight a guy like Jon Jones. That’s crazy to me.”

Watch Rogan's assessment below:

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