Tag: Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik Set For UFC’s Second Saudi Arabia Event

UFC heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich will have the chance for redemption when he returns to Saudi Arabia early next year. Pavlovich (18-3) fell to the first losing skid of his career last time out in Riyadh, where his former training partner Alexander Volkov stifled his power en route to a comfortable unanimous decision victory. That […]

Continue Reading Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik Set For UFC’s Second Saudi Arabia Event at MMA News.

UFC heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich will have the chance for redemption when he returns to Saudi Arabia early next year.

Pavlovich (18-3) fell to the first losing skid of his career last time out in Riyadh, where his former training partner Alexander Volkov stifled his power en route to a comfortable unanimous decision victory.

That result followed a short-notice interim title defeat to Tom Aspinall last November at Madison Square Garden, where Pavlovich’s championship hopes were dashed by way of knockout in the very first round.

With that, the Russian’s streak of six straight first-round finishes and impressive performance against Curtis Blaydes have become a distant memory. But, he will look to change that and remind the division of his brutal power in 2025.

Per MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin, the #4-ranked contender will return to the Kingdom Arena on Feb. 1, 2025, this time to throw down with Jairzinho Rozenstruik (15-5).

While Pavlovich will ride a losing skid into the contest, Rozenstruik is currently on his first win streak since having his undefeated record blemished by Francis Ngannou back in May 2020.

“Bigi Boy” went on an inconsistent run in the years that followed before finally stringing together wins this year with a knockout triumph over Shamil Gaziev and split decision against Tai Tuivasa.

Having cemented his spot inside the heavyweight top 10 in 2024, the Surinamese knockout artist will have the chance to return to title contention with a big performance opposite Pavlovich in Saudi Arabia.

Continue Reading Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik Set For UFC’s Second Saudi Arabia Event at MMA News.

Heavyweight Showdown: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik Set for UFC’s Saudi Arabia Return

UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov in jeopardy over surprise bookingAccording to recent reports, the UFC is planning a heavyweight bout between Sergei Pavlovich and Jairzinho Rozenstruik for an…

UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia fight between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov in jeopardy over surprise booking

According to recent reports, the UFC is planning a heavyweight bout between Sergei Pavlovich and Jairzinho Rozenstruik for an upcoming event in Saudi Arabia. On February 1, 2025, at the Kingdom Arena. This event is known as UFC Fight Night 250.

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

This heavyweight bout sees two highly-ranked heavyweight contenders against one another, with Sergei Pavlovich currently ranked No. 4 and Rozenstruik at No. 9 in the UFC division. Sergei Pavlovich (18-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is looking to bounce back after two consecutive losses, which halted his impressive six-fight knockout streak. Rozenstruik (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), is riding a two-fight winning streak and has shown recent improvement in his performances. Both men are known for their knockout power, with a combined 28 knockouts in their 33 wins, 24 of which occurred in the first round.

Sergei Pavlovich set to serve as backup to Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 295

UFC in Saudi Arabia

The February 1 event in Saudi Arabia will also feature a middleweight main event between Andre Muniz and Ikram Aliskerov.

Saudi Arabia has recently taken a strong interest in MMA. In 2023, Saudi-backed SRJ Sports Investments made a $100 million investment in the PFL, acquiring a minority stake.

The UFC recently signed a new deal to return to Saudi Arabia for multiple events, reportedly worth close to $40 million per event. This is a substantial increase from their previous $20 million deal.

Saudi Arabia has been hosting high-profile boxing matches and is looking to become a major hub for combat sports, rivaling traditional locations like Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. The country has held several major boxing matches, including the “Battle of the Baddest” between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in October 2023.

Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’ 

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend. Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend.

Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first title defense and redemption opposite the man against whom he suffered his sole Octagon setback to date.

The Brit briefly shared the cage with Curtis Blaydes in London two years ago, with their UFC Fight Night main event lasting just 15 seconds before Aspinall suffered a freak knee injury.

The 31-year-old has now been presented with the chance to right that wrong, and given the manner with which he captured UFC gold last November, he’s extremely confident in his chances of doing so…

Aspinall Full Of Self-Belief After Pulling Off UFC Title Win In ‘Worst Circumstances’

During a recent interview with Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, and Alan Jouban for ESPN MMA, Aspinall looked ahead to his upcoming defense of the interim title and second dance in the cage with Blaydes.

When it comes to his evolution as a fighter since their first clash in 2022, Aspinall believes the differences are night and day. That includes when it comes to confidence, in large part down to how the Brit was able to dispatch Sergei Pavlovich in less than ideal circumstances eight months ago.

“(I’ve improved) absolutely everywhere (since the first fight against Blaydes),” Aspinall said. “Every fight is different anyway, but I think now, everything is way different about me. Especially after my last performance; I took so much confidence from that. I took the fight on short notice, I took the fight injured, and I still managed to pull it off in the worst circumstances. Feeling pretty confident after that one, feeling pretty good.”

Aspinall will look to prove as much by having his hand raised on home soil this Saturday, avenging his unfortunate setback opposite “Razor” and maintaining his grip on the interim heavyweight gold in the process.

His defense will mark the first of two championship rematches set for UFC 304, with fellow UK titleholder Leon Edwards running it back with Belal Muhammad in defense of his welterweight strap.

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’ 

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend. Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first […]

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall won’t be short on self-belief when he enters the cage for his first defense this weekend.

Aspinall is set to co-headline the UFC 304 pay-per-view event in his home city of Manchester, England, on July 27. He’ll make the walk in the early hours in pursuit of a first title defense and redemption opposite the man against whom he suffered his sole Octagon setback to date.

The Brit briefly shared the cage with Curtis Blaydes in London two years ago, with their UFC Fight Night main event lasting just 15 seconds before Aspinall suffered a freak knee injury.

The 31-year-old has now been presented with the chance to right that wrong, and given the manner with which he captured UFC gold last November, he’s extremely confident in his chances of doing so…

Aspinall Full Of Self-Belief After Pulling Off UFC Title Win In ‘Worst Circumstances’

During a recent interview with Karyn Bryant, Rashad Evans, and Alan Jouban for ESPN MMA, Aspinall looked ahead to his upcoming defense of the interim title and second dance in the cage with Blaydes.

When it comes to his evolution as a fighter since their first clash in 2022, Aspinall believes the differences are night and day. That includes when it comes to confidence, in large part down to how the Brit was able to dispatch Sergei Pavlovich in less than ideal circumstances eight months ago.

“(I’ve improved) absolutely everywhere (since the first fight against Blaydes),” Aspinall said. “Every fight is different anyway, but I think now, everything is way different about me. Especially after my last performance; I took so much confidence from that. I took the fight on short notice, I took the fight injured, and I still managed to pull it off in the worst circumstances. Feeling pretty confident after that one, feeling pretty good.”

Aspinall will look to prove as much by having his hand raised on home soil this Saturday, avenging his unfortunate setback opposite “Razor” and maintaining his grip on the interim heavyweight gold in the process.

His defense will mark the first of two championship rematches set for UFC 304, with fellow UK titleholder Leon Edwards running it back with Belal Muhammad in defense of his welterweight strap.

Continue Reading Tom Aspinall Describes Confidence Boost From Sergei Pavlovich Win Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Took The Fight On Short Notice, Injured…’  at MMA News.

Alexander Volkov threatens to ‘call the cops’ on Sergei Pavlovich after shoving incident at UFC Saudi Arabia

Alexander Volkov threatens to 'Call the Cops' on Sergei Pavlovich after shoving incident at UFC Saudi ArabiaAlexander Volkov delivered an impressive three-round performance against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, it was what happened…

Alexander Volkov threatens to 'Call the Cops' on Sergei Pavlovich after shoving incident at UFC Saudi Arabia

Alexander Volkov delivered an impressive three-round performance against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, it was what happened after the fight that garnered most of the attention.

Despite stepping into the fight as a sizeable underdog, Volkov nearly doubled the output of his opponent and landed at a significantly higher clip, leading ‘Drago’ to a fourth-straight win in the heavyweight division.

Alexander Volkov

Immediately following the fight, Volkov approached Pavlovich looking to squash any lingering beef between the two Russians.

Pavlovich wasn’t having any of it.

After being shoved by Pavlovich, the 6’7″ heavyweight addressed the incident during his post-fight interview.

“I don’t know [what happened], I just come to say, ‘Thank you for a great fight’ and he got mad,” Volkov told Daniel Cormier in the Octagon, adding that “Maybe [he shoved me because of] all the games before the fight.”

Asked about the situation during the post-fight press conference, Volkov revealed that it wasn’t necessarily the shove that he took offense to. It was a vulgar comment that Pavlovich directed toward him.

“I mean I didn’t think it was a nice thing to do from him, I guess he’s mad at me. I’m not really sure why and I would love to figure out why, maybe he just misunderstood something but it’s his fault, not mine. To be honest, this was the first time that I’ve ever heard Sergei curse because he kind of told me to—well I’m not going to repeat what he said—but this is the first time I’ve actually heard him maliciously use curse words in my direction” (h/t Bloody Elbow).

With the Russian knockout artists often occupying the same spaces back home, Volkov was asked what would happen if Pavlovich decided to try and restart their scrap behind closed doors.

“If he tries to attack me, I’ll call the cops,” Volkov added.

Alexander Volkov would ‘really like’ to fight for the title next

With the win over Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov is likely to find himself sitting in the No. 3 spot in the heavyweight rankings come Monday morning, priming him for a long-awaited shot at the division’s top prize.

“Yes, I would really like to fight for the title, but that’s beside the point,” Volkav replied when asked about what comes next. “I am an employee of the UFC and I’m going to have to not go with my wishes but go with what they say is right. There has been an unwritten agreement that that will be the case, but who it’s going to be [against] or where it’s going to be, we don’t really know yet.”

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More importantly, Volkov wants to provide the fights that will excite the fans, whether that includes UFC gold or not.

“I would fight the fights that are interesting to the fans, that’s the primary goal,” he added.

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Tom Aspinall slams Ciryl Gane for ducking ‘multiple’ fights: ‘I asked for him years ago, he didn’t want it’

MixCollage 08 Apr 2024 03 33 PM 3668Tom Aspinall has accused Ciryl Gane of ducking multiple fighters, including himself. Aspinall is heavily rumored to be part…

MixCollage 08 Apr 2024 03 33 PM 3668

Tom Aspinall has accused Ciryl Gane of ducking multiple fighters, including himself.

Aspinall is heavily rumored to be part of the UFC’s yet-to-be-announced pay-per-view event in Manchester, England later this year. The UK-based star has been teasing his potential return, presumably to put his interim heavyweight title on the line against the only man to own a victory over him inside the Octagon, Curtis Blaydes.

Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes

Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Aspinall shared some insight into his next fight — specifically who it would not be against. Asked if there’s any chance of him fighting undisputed champion Jon Jones or former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic at the event, Aspinall was quick to rule them both out. When Ciryl Gane’s name popped up, Aspinall accused the Frenchman of ducking fights left and right.

“He’s dismissed me on multiple occasions and I’m not the first guy he’s dismissed,” Aspinall said. “I’m not the first guy that he’s ducked. It’s out there for people to see. The reason that I got the Pavlovich fight is because Ciryl didn’t want it. He ducked Pavlovich. He then ducked Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes has been on record saying that. I asked for him years ago. He didn’t want it then. Then I asked for him in Paris. They flew me over to make that fight. He didn’t want it then so we’ll see what the UFC wants to do.”

Tom Aspinall accuses Gane of ducking fights

Ciryl Gane has come up short in two UFC title opportunities

‘Bon Gamin’ has won six of his last eight fights with his two losses during that run coming in title fights against former champion Francis Ngannou and current heavyweight king Jon Jones. After coming up short against ‘Bones’ at UFC 285, Gane bounced back with a big second-round knockout over Serghei Spivac at UFC Paris in September. Gane still sits as the No. 2 ranked contender in the heavyweight division.

Gane vs. Spivac

After winning the interim belt in November, Tom Aspinall lobbied hard for a title unification clash with Jon Jones, even going so far as to approach ‘Bones’ at one of the undisputed champ’s promotional appearances. Unfortunately, that fight is looking less likely with each passing day.

As a result, Aspinall has opted to move on from Jones and will look to score a bit of redemption against Curtis Blaydes.