It wasn’t way back when many considered Sergei Pavlovich as essentially the most terrifying power within the heavyweight division. Now he feels just like the odd man out.
Pavlovich (17-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will try and rebound from his interim title loss to Tom Aspinall at UFC 295 in November when he meets Alexander Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 co-main occasion, which takes place at Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+).
Previous to the combat with Aspinall in New York, Pavlovich was on a six-fight first-round knockout streak. He was tearing by means of names like Curtis Blaydes, Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis with ease, however then the hammer grew to become the nail within the largest spot doable.
The Russian has had seven months to digest the loss, and he’s keen to place his profession again on monitor.
“After all between each combat you work one thing out, you be taught one thing new about your self,” Pavlovich advised MMA Junkie by means of an interpreter on Wednesday. “You sharpen and higher your self. Clearly, I believe we modified, and we received higher, and we improved.”
Pavlovich, 32, will look to rebound by fixing the puzzle of the tallest energetic fighter within the division, 6-foot-7 Volkov. The pair are former coaching companions, and there’s a familiarity there when it comes to one another’s skillsets.
It’s all enterprise for Pavlovich, No. 3 within the newest USA TODAY Sports activities/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, nevertheless, as he seems to reinsert himself within the title image with an announcement efficiency in opposition to No. 6-ranked Volkov.
The way forward for the division is considerably murky, too. Aspinall is ready to defend his interim title in opposition to Blaydes at UFC 304 on July 27, and Jon Jones is anticipated to return Nov. 9 in opposition to Stipe Miocic in what may very effectively be a double retirement combat.
Pavlovich needs to be within the dialog as soon as these fights come to fruition, and the easiest way to try this is with an emphatic win.
“Yeah (I really feel forgotten about),” Pavlovich mentioned. “I’ve a combat on Saturday. We’ll see. The cage will shut. I’ve a combat to win, after which we’ll see what occurs subsequent.
“You possibly can plan for one thing, however as we see proper now, plans change loads, and sometimes. We simply need to maintain successful after which we’ll see what occurs. However the details might be in entrance of us later.”
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