Heavyweights Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes-Acosta are expected to meet at the upcoming UFC Shanghai card scheduled on Aug. 23 in China.
Multple people with knowledge of the promotionâs plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday with agreements in place from both fighters. The fight was first reported by MMA Latino America.
Following a tough two-fight skid including a loss in an interim heavyweight title fight, Pavlovich got back on track with a decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik back in February. Prior to his two losses, Pavlovich had rattled off six straight wins â all by knockout â including victories over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis.
Now Pavlovich looks to build a new win streak when he returns to action in August while facing a rising contender in the division with Cortes-Acosta seeking his sixth consecutive victory in a row.
The 33-year-old heavyweight currently sports a 7-1 record overall in the UFC, which includes his most recent win over Serghei Spivac at UFC 316. Cortes-Acosta attempts to build on that momentum when faces the heavy-hitting Pavlovich in August.
The UFC Shanghai card was previously announced with light heavyweights Zhang Mingyang and Johnny Walker currently rumored as the main event.
Been awhile since weâve had a legit â letâs see if I can go for the belt again one last timeâ matchup
Event : UFC Shanghai: âWalker vs. Zhangâ
Date : Sat., Aug. 23, 2025
Location : Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China
Start times : ESPN+ Prelims at 4 a.m. ET | ESPN+ Main Card at 7 a.m. ET
UFC Shanghai Main Event on ESPN+:
205 lbs.: Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang
UFC Shanghai Main Card on ESPN+ (7 a.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Marco Tulio
265 lbs.: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
125 lbs.: Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
UFC Shanghai Preliminary Card on ESPN+ (4 a.m. ET):
265 lbs.: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Uran Satybaldiev
125 lbs.: Loneâer Kavanagh vs. Charles Johnson
170 lbs.: Kenan Song vs. Kiefer Crosbie
The UFC doesnât often give second chances, but Kyle Daukaus is getting one.
The current CFFC middleweight champion and a seven-fight UFC alum, Daukaus (15-4 MMA, 2-4 UFC) has replaced Marco Tulio and will battle Michel Pereira (31-13 MMA, 9-4 UFC). The three-round middleweight bout will take place Aug. 23 at UFC Fight Night 257 from Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report from Ag. Fight. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Daukaus, 32, departed the UFC in early 2023 after the promotion elected not to re-sign him following the conclusion of his agreement. All but two of Daukausâ UFC opponents remain on the roster as he rejoins it. His two wins were against Jamie Pickett and Dustin Stoltzfus with his losses against Brendan Allen, Roman Dolidze, Eryk Anders, and Phil Hawes. He also had a no contest vs. Kevin Holland.
Following his departure, Daukaus returned to the regional scene, and more specifically CFFC. He went 4-0 for them with three finishes and a middleweight title clinch.
Pereira, 31, aims to snap a two-fight skid as he enters the bout off consecutive losses to Anthony Hernandez and Abus Magomedov. Prior to these bumps in the road, Pereira was on an eight-fight winning streak.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night 257 lineup includes:
- Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang
- Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Sergei Pavlovich
- Kevin Borjas vs. Su Mudaerji
- Austin Hubbard vs. Zhu Rong
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Michel Pereira
- Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Uran Satybaldiev
- Charles Johnson vs. Loneâer Kavanagh
- Long Xiao vs. Su Young You
- Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gauge Young
- Kiefer Crosbie vs. Taiyilake Nueraji
- Westin Wilson vs. Yi Zha