UFC: Sergei Pavlovich in profile

bet365 News Team Updated: 13 Feb 24 15:13

Everything you need to know about mixed martial artist, and UFC heavyweight star, Sergei Pavlovich.

Sergei Pavlovich

Born:	13th May, 1992
Age:	32
Birthplace:	Orlovsky, Rostov Oblast, Russia
Resides:	Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast, Russia
Height:	6ft 3ins
Reach:	84ins
Style:	Combat Sambo
Weight Division:	Heavyweight
UFC Record	6-1 (6ko)
MMA Record	18-1 (15ko)
Next Fight:	Tom Aspinall (Saturday 12th November)

Pavlovich vs Aspinall

Sergei Pavlovich is a Russian professional mixed martial artist, who is currently ranked as the #2 in the UFC heavyweight rankings. Pavlovich is a one-time champion of Russia in Combat Kung Fu and is a former Fight Nights Global heavyweight champion.

Pavlovich suffered a first ever professional MMA defeat on his UFC debut against Alistair Overeem in 2018 but has recorded five successive victories since that loss, winning all of those encounters by first round stoppages (2 KOs, 4 TKOs).

Four of Pavlovich’s five wins have seen him earn the Performance of the Night and his next fight will see him face off against Britain’s Tom Aspinall for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 295.

Pavlovich is regarded as the slight underdog at 1/1, while Aspinall is priced at 4/5.

Aspinall has a 6-1 record in UFC and is currently ranked as the #4 heavyweight by the organisation. The 30-year-old returned from a year on the sidelines with a knee injury in July in style, as his first round TKO victory over Marcin Tybura in the headline event was named Performance of the Night.

Aspinall sustained his injury in a loss to Curtis Blaydes, who Pavlovich beat via a TKO in his last outing back in April.

Wrestling foundations

Pavlovich began learning Greco-Roman Wrestling at the age of five and trained in wrestling until he was around 17 years old.

After serving in the army, he began to train in Combat Sambo and that discipline remains his main fighting style as a professional in the UFC.

The 31-year-old began his UFC career in 2018 after building a reputation under the Fight Nights Global promotion. Pavlovich won all 12 of his bouts under Fight Nights Global and defeated Mikhail Mokhnatkin by unanimous decision in 2017.

Later that year, he defended that title against Kirill Sidelnikov in his final appearance for the promotion before joining the UFC.

UFC record

Pavlovich saw his unbeaten record ended on his UFC debut as he was stopped in the first round by Alistair Overeem in 2018.

The Russian responded with a first round KO of his own in April the following year against Marcelo Golm, on the undercard of Overeem’s second meeting with Francis Ngannou, and has a perfect record since his only competitive loss.

All six of Pavlovich’s wins have come inside the first round in the UFC and he has worked his way up the rankings to #2, which has earned him a shot at the interim heavyweight title.

Pavlovich overcame Curtis Blaydes earlier this year in his first outing as a headliner and his TKO victory was the Performance of the Night.

The 31-year-old’s clash with Aspinall is his first title fight in the UFC and is a co-headline event alongside the light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jan Blachowicz.

Future aspirations

Pavlovich’s immediate goal will be to claim the interim heavyweight title by beating Aspinall but he will need to be at his best to come out on top.

Aspinall has just one defeat on his UFC record but that loss to Blaydes came in unfortunate circumstances as a knee injury prevented him from continuing. Like Pavlovich, four of Aspinall’s six wins have been Performance of the Night and fireworks should be expected when these two entertainers clash later this month.

If Pavlovich does beat Aspinall, he will be keen to claim the heavyweight title outright rather than as an interim holder.