Sergei Pavlovich, who is currently ranked third in the heavyweight division made a massive statement this Saturday as he earned a convincing first-round knockout victory against another top heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes. After the fight, Pavlovich made sure his victory doesn’t go unnoticed as he demanded a heavyweight title shot.
"Where's my belt?"@SPavlovich13 knows what he wants next after another KO victory #UFCVegas71 pic.twitter.com/zaebvMF5sx
— UFC (@ufc) April 23, 2023
“Hey, where’s my belt?” Pavlovich screamed after the victory. “Big respect to Curtis Blaydes, he’s great, but somebody was saying he was going to easily take me down. What are you going to say now?” The Russian heavyweight can soon have a chance to win the coveted UFC heavyweight gold gold after finishing Curtis Blaydes in spectacular fashion in the first round. Pavlovich with this victory secured his sixth consecutive first-round finish and is now 6-1 in the UFC.
Pavlovich bravely stepped into the close range of Blaydes and unleashed an uppercut, snapping Blaydes’ head back as he slid towards the cage. The finish was yet another stunning performance by the 30 year-old Russian. At barely 3:08 into the first round, Pavlovich pounced on the opportunity to launch another wave of punches, causing Blaydes to eventually collapse under the force of the blows.
Sergei Pavlovich future match-ups
“As far as I was watching the UFC, usually it’s the strikers that knock people out that get the bonuses,” Pavlovich said . “Usually they don’t give it to people that finish on the ground. That’s another finish standing up, that’s another bonus, I think, right?” Six consecutive first round finishes is a record not likely to be broken anytime soon specially at the dangerous heavyweight division.
Fighting Jon Jones seems to be the ideal move for Pavlovich but will Jones stick around for that long is the question. The UFC is adamant to Jones vs Miocic, the fight may seemed to be delayed a bit but that’s certainly the next mega heavyweight showdown. The Bones reportedly signed an eight fight deal with the UFC before returning after a gap of three years against Ciryl Gane but has recently hinted at retirement after fighting and hopefully defeating Stipe Miocic this summer.
For Pavlovich a fight against former interim champion Ciryl Gane definitely makes sense but his past six performances have also given him the luxury to just wait for the opportunity to fight for the title.
