UFC heavyweight No. 3 Sergei Pavlovich (30, Russia) claimed a title shot by winning six consecutive first round KO (TKO) victories.
On the 23rd (Korean time), Pavlovic won the UFC Fight Night: Pavlovic vs. Blaze main event held at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA by punch TKO victory over No. 4 heavyweight Curtis Blaze (32, USA).
It didn’t go beyond the 1st round. Pavlovic struggled against Blaze’s right hand counter in the beginning, but turned the tide by getting a knockdown with an overhand hook.
Afterwards, he put in a concise jab first hit, accumulated damage to the Blaze, and finished with a series of hits.
Six consecutive first-round KOs (TKOs) are the first in UFC history. The record of former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell (53, USA) with 7 consecutive KO (TKO) victories is also on the horizon.
It took only 12 minutes and 17 seconds for Pavlovic’s six-game winning streak. The average per game is 2 minutes and 3 seconds.
“To be honest, I was preparing to finish the entire 5th round,” Pavlovic said at the post-match press conference, “but when I realized that I had damaged the Blaze, I didn’t think it was necessary to last that long.”
Blaze, who boasts the most takedowns and longest top control time in UFC heavyweight history, came up with a striking strategy that was not wrestling. 카지노사이트
Pavlovic mentioned the trauma of Derek Lewis (38, USA) of the Blaze. The Blaze fainted after being countered with an uppercut while attempting a takedown on Lewis in 2021.
“I thought the only way for the Blaze to take me down was to do a double leg takedown with a deep upper body bend,” Pavlovic said. But Blaze had been knocked out before, so he knew it was dangerous.”
Pavlovic declared that he would wait for the winner of the heavyweight title fight between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones (35, USA) and former champion Stipe Miocic (40, USA), which will take place in the second half of this year. He said, “What I want is a championship belt. I want to get this belt because it has been my dream since I was young.”
With this victory, Pavlovic recorded a total of 18 wins and 1 loss (UFC 6 wins and 1 loss).
Since heavyweight No. 1 Cyril Gan (33, France) lost to Jones at UFC 285 last March, Pavlovic, who beat No. 4 Blaze, is likely to receive his next title shot.