Sergei Pavlovich was defeated by former friend and training partner, Alexander Volkov, as part of the UFC Saudi Arabia fight card last weekend in Riyadh, a unanimous decision loss that sent the power-punching Russian to his second straight defeat.
There was unexpected drama at the UFC Saudi Arabia weigh ins prior to the event, where Pavlovich and Volkov argued over which fighter was responsible for the booking. Then came a post-fight shove from Pavlovich that didn’t sit well with “Drago” fans.
“It wasn’t my day, nothing went according to plan,” Pavlovich wrote on Twitter. “I was ready for anything, but I was too focused on getting a knockout and took too many unnecessary hits. The result was a loss by points. This was very emotional and tough for me, especially knowing that I didn’t meet your expectations. Thank you all for your support! I promise to come back stronger and wiser.”
Fan reactions were mixed.
You should apologize to Volkov, both for saying he wasn’t your friend before the fight and for shoving him after when he was trying to be nice to you. You’re a better sportsman than that.
Bit of a sore loser man, i thought you were chill.
Well said Sergei. Best wishes, moving forward!
Stay strong! You stepped in the cage. That deserves respect.
Show some respect to your opponent and maybe we will care to see your next fight.
We act like this is the first time we seen a big man with KO power humbled when he can’t get the KO.
Your biggest loss was what you did to Volkov. I hope to see you fighting for the belt soon. My two favorite fighters fighting each other was hard to watch.
Pavlovich, 32, dropped to 18-3 overall.
You can expect Pavlovich, ranked two spots above the 35 year-old Volkov (38-10) at No. 3 on the official heavyweight ladder, to switch places with “Drago” when the updated rankings are posted later this week.
For more UFC Saudi Arabia results and fallout click here.