This was announced at a press conference after the UFC Fight Night 220 tournament by UFC President Dana White.
“Do we have a spare fighter for the main event? Yes, we always have spares for such fights. I won’t say who it is, but yes, we have a fallback,” said the head of the organization, answering a question about the fight between John Jones and Cyril Gan.
Earlier, the manager of Sergei Pavlovich, Rizvan Magomedov, did not rule out that his ward could become a reserve participant in the title fight, which will head the UFC 285 tournament in Las Vegas on March 4.
Pavlovich’s next fight is scheduled for April 22 against American Curtis Blades, but at the moment the Russian heavyweight, who ranks third in the division, is in the US and has the opportunity, if necessary, to go to the title fight.