This past Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC 295, the interim heavyweight title was on the line. Top contenders and two of the biggest finishers in the division went toe-to-toe as England’s Tom Aspinall (14-3) took on Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich (18-2).
Both men entered the octagon with a 6-1 record in the UFC with each man having a perfect 100% finish rate. Pavlovich had lost his octagon debut, but he had six straight first round knockouts entering Saturday night. Admittedly, Tom Aspinall said he had never been more afraid than he was on Saturday night.
It didn’t take long for him to feel the power of Pavlovich. Pavlovich cracked Aspinall in the opening seconds with a huge shot that knocked his mouthpiece loose. Aspinall smiled and the two men continued to throw heat. Out of no where, Aspinall landed a massive 1-2 that put Pavlovich out on his feet. One follow-up right hand and Tom Aspinall put Sergei Pavlovich away at UFC 295.
What’s next after UFC 295?
With this loss, Pavlovich tasted defeat for just the second time in his professional career. With the skill and power of these two men, you figured someone was getting finished and on Saturday night, it was Sergei Pavlovich. That said, I don’t believe he will get pushed too far back in the shuffle considering his recent wins.
So, now that he fell short at UFC 295, what is next for Pavlovich? In looking at the heavyweight division, there are a few very intriguing matchups for Pavlovich. I love the idea of having an all-Russian matchup featuring him and Alexander Volkov.
“Drago” has won three fights in a row and all three by finish. His last loss, like Pavlovich, came against Tom Aspinall. To me, this is the fight that should happen next. Ciryl Gane is another name I’d keep an eye on, but Gane appears much more likely to fight Tom Aspinall next.
Jailton Almeida is in the mix, but I think he’ll likely fight Curtis Blaydes who Pavlovich already knocked out. There are options, but none better than the fellow Russian in Volkov.