In the not too far off past, Sergei Pavlovich was arguably the most feared fighter on the entire UFC roster. Overcoming a knockout defeat in his company debut to Alistair Overeem, the Russian power-puncher rattled off six straight first round stoppages over the next five years. This streak of highlight-reel finishes thrusted Pavlovich into his first UFC championship bout with the equally hard-hitting Tom Aspinall at UFC 295, who dusted Pavlovich in just over a minute to become the heavyweight interim champion.
Sergei Pavlovich Drops Fight to Alexander Volkov
In the wake of his first setback since the Overeem contest, Sergei Pavlovich (19-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) stepped back into the Octagon seven months later to combat fellow European competitor Alexander Volkov, who he trained together with for a few years at American Top Team.