With six consecutive first-round finishes under his belt, Sergei
Pavlovich believes he’s done enough to be the UFC heavyweight
division’s No. 1 contender.
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The heavy-handed Russian earned his most significant victory to
date in the UFC
Fight Night 222 headliner, stopping Curtis
Blaydes with punches 3:08 into the opening stanza of their
encounter at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. At the
post-fight press conference, Pavlovich said he wouldn’t accept
anything less than a heavyweight title fight in his next Octagon
appearance.
“I’ll rest,” Pavlovich said through a translator. “I’ll eat. I’ll
sleep. I’ll rest some more. I’ll wait.”
At the very least, it seems likely that Pavlovich will have to wait
until the UFC schedules a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and
Stipe
Miocic. That bout is not official, but it has been targeted for
Madison Square Garden in New York, at an event that could
potentially occur in November. When it comes to facing either Jones
or Miocic, Pavlovich doesn’t have a preference in a matchup he
thinks will be a “50-50 toss-up.”
“I wouldn’t say that either of them would be an easy fight,”
Pavlovich said. “I mean, they’re both hard warriors so I would have
to prepare for whoever it is, then be ready for whoever they give
me.”