What Should Be Next for the Former Heavyweight Title Challenger?
Sergei Pavlovich, not too long ago, was one of the dangerous men in the entire UFC. He won six straight fights, all by knockout, and all in the first round. He looked unstoppable and someone who could potentially dethrone Jon Jones. However, he was matched up with Tom Aspinall for the Interim Heavyweight Championship, and he got caught and knocked out in round one. Ever since then, he has not been as aggressive, and all of his fights have gone to decision. He was able to turn back the rising prospect last Saturday, beating Waldo Cortes-Acosta by decision. After back-to-back wins, I will break down which matchups should be next for Pavlovich as he looks to get another shot at Aspinall’s title.
Sergei Pavlovich vs. The Loser of Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almedia
Pavlovich has yet to face a grappler as talented and as skilled as Jailton Almeida. On the feet, he would have a good chance at knocking him out if he could get him on the back foot and put his back against the cage. If the Russian is gun-shy in this fight, he will get taken down and dominated. This is your typical striker versus grappler, so it will be interesting to see which martial art prevails with both fighters being experts in each area. With Alexander Volkov potentially coming off back-to-back losses, that is the only way I see him taking the rematch against Pavlovich. The first fight wasn’t close as Volkov absolutely picked Pavlovich apart on the feet for three straight rounds. They are former training partners, and after the fight, Sergei was clearly upset and was a sore loser in defeat. This rematch will have some animosity as Sergei will want to get this win back in the worst way, and Volkov will want to teach him the means of respect once again.
Sergei Pavlovich vs. The Loser of Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall
Sergei Pavlovich has put on some boring performances ever since he got knocked out by Aspinall, so he definitely needs one, maybe two more wins to get back into the title picture. The loser of the title fight that’s taking place on October 25th will give Pavlovich the best chance at calling his shot. If Ciryl Gane loses, it should be a striking classic with pure power versus pure skill. Sergei hits harder, but Gane is more crisp and accurate. It may not last long, or it will be a three to five-round showcase. If Tom Aspinall loses his Heavyweight Championship, he will want to have a quick turnaround, being off for so long, and a rematch against Sergei Pavlovich, even though he already beat him, will get him up because he knows how still dangerous he is. That will be a very interesting rematch with how less reckless Pavlovich is. Aspinall will most likely rely on his wrestling to wear him down rather than try to use his elusive lateral quickness to pick him apart on the feet. If Sergei can regain his confidence and remember who he is, he can put pressure on Aspinall, who leaves his chin up in the air most times and gets clipped quite frequently. He has good head movement, which allowed him to slip shots in their first fight, but taking a clean shot from Pavlovich is not like taking a clean shot from Curtis Blaydes. We will see if 2022 Sergei Pavlovich is truly behind us, or can he bring it back and potentially even better?
After his cloak of invincibility was wiped away, the aura that Sergei had surrounding him was gone in an instant. Fighters went from being afraid to get in the pocket with him to knowing he is only a one-trick pony, and if you use lateral movement and circle away from his power, you can pick him apart. He seems to still have high aspirations for claiming the Heavyweight Championship, so these fights will put him in the best possible position for it. We will see what Dana White and the rest of his committee decide to do with the powerful Russian moving forward.
