The title was nailed to Sergei Pavlovich

Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich, who has built a reputation as one of the premier knockout artists in the UFC, the premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, has been given a chance to claim the title of interim champion by an injury to heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones. To do this, Pavlovich will need to defeat the very experienced British fighter Tom Aspinall in November.

UFC head Dana White reported about changes in the program of the next major promotion tournament, which will take place on November 11 in New York. They are connected with the emergency that happened to its intended headliner.

It was believed that it would be the famous American John Jones. In March of this year, Jones pulled off a remarkable feat. The athlete, who spent almost his entire career in the light heavyweight division (up to 93 kg), after a colossal three-year pause, returned to the heavyweight division and won the championship title, defeating the Frenchman Cyril Gan. The UFC was so impressed that it immediately placed Jones at the top of its rankings of the best fighters, regardless of category. In New York, Jon Jones was scheduled to make his first title defense against famous compatriot Stipe Miocic.

The fight, however, broke down. Dana White said Jones injured his pectoral tendon in Monday’s practice. The injury will require surgery and the American will miss about eight months.

The UFC formally turned the fight for the light heavyweight title between the Czech Jiri Prochazka and the Brazilian Alex Pereira into the main event in the tournament, and added a co-main event to it.

In the fight for the status of interim champion in the heavyweight category, introduced due to the downtime of the owner of the main one, Russian Sergei Pavlovich and Briton Tom Aspinall will fight.

Pavlovich, thus, may become the first Russian to receive the championship title in it, albeit with a reservation.

There is nothing strange in the fact that he got this chance. In fact, in any case, even if it were not for the incident with Jon Jones, 31-year-old Sergei Pavlovich would soon probably be fighting for the title. In the official UFC rankings in his category, he is now in second place, that is, actually in third – after champion Jones and Cyril Gan. But even more important is Pavlovich’s reputation.

Recently, he has gained immense popularity among mixed martial arts fans due to his unique punching talent. In the UFC, Pavlovich lost his only fight – his debut in 2018 against Alistair Overeem, a fighter with an excellent track record. Then the Russian had a phenomenal series. He scored six victories in a row, all in the first round, using his incredibly powerful punch.

Moreover, it cannot be said that Sergei Pavlovich came across entirely mediocre opponents. For example, in his previous fight in April, he dealt with American Curtis Blaydes, who himself is an undisputed MMA superstar.

In New York, however, it seems that Pavlovich will face a more difficult test than those that he has already overcome.

Tom Aspinall, with whom the Russian could have crossed paths back in 2021, but never took part in the match with the Briton due to problems with an American visa, is an extremely seasoned fighter with a cool arsenal. Aspinall was seriously involved in boxing, but unlike Pavlovich, he usually focuses on wrestling, which he mastered perfectly. Using various wrestling techniques, he defeated several dangerous opponents, including Alexander Volkov, who was considered Russia’s main hope in the heavyweight division before Pavlovich’s rise.

True, after winning against Volkov, Tom Aspinall lost to the same Curtis Blaydes, who did not cause any difficulties for Sergei Pavlovich. But you shouldn’t pay much attention to the result of this fight in July 2022. The fact is that, in fact, it did not exist. Already at the very beginning of the fight, Aspinall injured his knee and was unable to continue. He returned to the octagon a year later, confidently coping with the strong Pole Marcin Tybura, whom he stunned with his striking technique. Aspinall always has it in reserve.

Alexey Dospehov