Sergei Pavlovich headlined his first UFC fight card on Saturday and took on Curtis Blaydes in a five-round fight in the main event of UFC Vegas 71. The stakes were high as the winner could very well be next in line for a title shot.
The Russian delivered a splendid performance and scored a first-round knockout victory against Blaydes.
The victory made the 30-year-old the third fighter to ever defeat Curtis Blaydes in an MMA fight. Before that, ‘Razor’ had only lost to Francis Ngannou (twice) and Derrick Lewis, both of whom are known for their devastating knockout power.
Sergei Pavlovich makes it six first-round KOs in a row. You gotta feel bad for Curtis Blaydes: it's his third time getting KOed in a possible title eliminator #UFCVegas71https://t.co/PSSEtv3291
He'll have to wait a while just given when we're likely to get Jones vs. Miocic but Pavlovich has earned a title shot. #UFCVegas71pic.twitter.com/TOf8osih5s
One Twitter user claimed that Pavlovich was better than former UFC champion Francis Ngannou and said the former will have more accomplishments than ‘The Predator’, when it’s all said and done.
One Twitter user claimed that Pavlovich was better than former UFC champion Francis Ngannou and said the former will have more accomplishments than ‘The Predator’, when it’s all said and done.
“Unpopular opinion: Sergei Pavlovich is better than Francis Ngannou p4p and will accomplish more when he’s done with the sport.”
With a victory over Curtis Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich now has six first-round knockout victories in the UFC. The 30-year-old has a strong claim to a UFC title shot and was also the back-up fighter for the heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane at UFC 285.
Despite that, the Russian might not be next in line to fight for UFC gold. Although no official announcement has been made, Jones is expected to fight former UFC champion Stipe Miocic later this year.
If the fight fails to become a reality, Pavlovich would be a more-than-worthy opponent for Jones’ first heavyweight title defense.
