Sergei Pavlovich (18-1) is quickly making a name for himself in the UFC. Pavlovich dominated this weekend’s UFC Fight Night Main event, finishing Curtis Blaydes in the first round. This is not surprising for those who have followed Pavlovich’s career closely as he has stopped his opponent in six straight fights. This impressive streak moved Pavlovich into 3rd all-time on the UFC’s consecutive knockouts list only behind Don Frye and Chuck Liddell (7). Since losing his octagon debut to MMA legend Alistair Overeem, Pavlovich has gone unbeaten in the UFC.
Sergei Pavlovich is the Biggest Threat to Champion Jon Jones
Current Heavyweight Champion and No.1 P4P fighter in the world Jon Jones is rumored to be fighting Stipe Miocic next. That fight would pit the consensus greatest fighter of all time Jones against the most accomplished Heavyweight of his era in Miocic. There is just one major problem, Miocic has not competed in two years and would be a sizeable betting underdog entering that contest. Miocic has been thru rivalries with Francis Ngannou and Daniel Cormier in his career and it is unclear what he has left in the tank.
Pavlovich would present a legitimate threat to the title in a division that needs new faces and fresh prospects. Pavlovich has the heaviest hands in the division after the departure of former champion Francis Ngannou. Jones has long relied on his reach to successfully strike on the outside. Jones would not be able to do that against Pavlovich, who also has a reach of (84′). This would be a classic Striker vs Grappler matchup that would force Jones to utilize his wrestling. Pavlovich has not lost since 2018 and holds impressive knockout wins over Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa. After winning last Saturday, Pavlovich is now No.2 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings. A potential contest between Jones and Pavlovich would be the most competitive title fight the UFC could make right now.
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