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Snaps brief losing streak
Pavlovich defeated Jair Rozenstruik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
ANALYSIS
It was a boring, 15-minute slog. It was also a clear cut unanimous decision win for Pavlovich, which is all he cared about on the heels of back-to-back defeats to Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall. Sergei landed the bigger blows on the feet, although he was credited with just 25 significant strikes landed. He won the fight on the strength of two successful takedowns and 6:17 worth of control time. Pavlovich obviously has massive power. He's also an underrated grappler. The main question mark is the cardio. The 32-year-old Russian is clearly a top-five heavyweight despite his recent struggles.
It was a boring, 15-minute slog. It was also a clear cut unanimous decision win for Pavlovich, which is all he cared about on the heels of back-to-back defeats to Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall. Sergei landed the bigger blows on the feet, although he was credited with just 25 significant strikes landed. He won the fight on the strength of two successful takedowns and 6:17 worth of control time. Pavlovich obviously has massive power. He's also an underrated grappler. The main question mark is the cardio. The 32-year-old Russian is clearly a top-five heavyweight despite his recent struggles.
Rozenstruik up next
Pavlovich is scheduled to compete against Jair Rozenstruik in a heavyweight fight at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, per Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
ANALYSIS
After suffering a decision loss to Alexander Volkov during the UFC's inaugural Saudi Arabia event, Pavlovich will take a step down in competition ranking-wise and go back to the country to redeem himself. Pavlovich had logged six consecutive KO/TKOs before suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Volkov and Tom Aspinall.
After suffering a decision loss to Alexander Volkov during the UFC's inaugural Saudi Arabia event, Pavlovich will take a step down in competition ranking-wise and go back to the country to redeem himself. Pavlovich had logged six consecutive KO/TKOs before suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Volkov and Tom Aspinall.
Unable to solve Alexander Volkov
Pavlovich lost to Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision (27-30, 27-30, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
ANALYSIS
This performance will do nothing to quiet the concerns that Pavlovich is nothing more than a one-punch knockout artist. Not only had Sergei never seen the final bell in his previous eight UFC bouts, he had never even seen a second round. To his credit, his cardio looked just fine, but he had all sorts of issues getting inside against his taller, longer opponent. Volkov simply stood at distance and picked Pavlovich apart with his jab and leg kicks. Sergei landed a few heavy blows, but nothing that came close to putting Volkov away. Pavlovich had won seven straight prior to his knockout defeat to Tom Aspinall last November. Just like that, he's riding a two-fight losing streak and finds himself miles from title contention.
This performance will do nothing to quiet the concerns that Pavlovich is nothing more than a one-punch knockout artist. Not only had Sergei never seen the final bell in his previous eight UFC bouts, he had never even seen a second round. To his credit, his cardio looked just fine, but he had all sorts of issues getting inside against his taller, longer opponent. Volkov simply stood at distance and picked Pavlovich apart with his jab and leg kicks. Sergei landed a few heavy blows, but nothing that came close to putting Volkov away. Pavlovich had won seven straight prior to his knockout defeat to Tom Aspinall last November. Just like that, he's riding a two-fight losing streak and finds himself miles from title contention.
Looks to bounce back in June
Pavlovich will take on Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight matchup at the UFC event scheduled for June 22 in Saudi Arabia, UFC President Dana White announced Wednesday night.
ANALYSIS
Pavlovich was given an opportunity for the interim heavyweight title last November, but he fell to Tom Aspinall in the very first round. He'll get a relatively quick turnaround against Volkov, a veteran fighter on a three-fight winning streak. On paper, Pavlovich will be giving up four inches in height, but he'll also enter the cage with a four-inch reach advantage. Neither fighter typically employs much wrestling in their game plan, and if it stays on the feet as expected, Pavlovich has the statistical edge in striking volume.
Pavlovich was given an opportunity for the interim heavyweight title last November, but he fell to Tom Aspinall in the very first round. He'll get a relatively quick turnaround against Volkov, a veteran fighter on a three-fight winning streak. On paper, Pavlovich will be giving up four inches in height, but he'll also enter the cage with a four-inch reach advantage. Neither fighter typically employs much wrestling in their game plan, and if it stays on the feet as expected, Pavlovich has the statistical edge in striking volume.
Fails in quest for UFC gold
Pavlovich came up short in his quest for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Tom Aspinall via KO (punches) at 1:09 of Round 1 at UFC 295 in New York City.
ANALYSIS
Well, we knew it wasn't going to last long, and it was Sergei who crumbled first. Pavlovich connected with one big shot in the early going, but Aspinall ate it without issue. He was eventually clipped with a blow to the side of the head that left him in all sorts of trouble, and Aspinall quickly finished Pavlovich off. Sergei was knocked out by Alistair Overeem in his UFC debut in November 2018 and had won six straight since, all via knockout. The power is obviously elite, but there are still questions about Pavlovich's secondary skills and cardio. Neither of those questions were answered here. Still just 31 years old and having taken very little damage over the course of his professional career, Sergei should remain in the title discussion for the next little while, at least. He'll likely be favored over most ranked heavyweights on the roster.
Well, we knew it wasn't going to last long, and it was Sergei who crumbled first. Pavlovich connected with one big shot in the early going, but Aspinall ate it without issue. He was eventually clipped with a blow to the side of the head that left him in all sorts of trouble, and Aspinall quickly finished Pavlovich off. Sergei was knocked out by Alistair Overeem in his UFC debut in November 2018 and had won six straight since, all via knockout. The power is obviously elite, but there are still questions about Pavlovich's secondary skills and cardio. Neither of those questions were answered here. Still just 31 years old and having taken very little damage over the course of his professional career, Sergei should remain in the title discussion for the next little while, at least. He'll likely be favored over most ranked heavyweights on the roster.