Everyone is talking about Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, but Sergei Pavlovovich continues to make his presence felt. Pavlovich secured his sixth consecutive first-round knockout when he stopped Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night on Saturday night.
Pavlovich has overwhelmed some of the sport's heaviest hitters and Blaydes simply could not endure. Pavlovich repeatedly stunned him with hefty jabs before dropping him with a boxing combination. Blaydes lasted longer than nearly all of Pavlovich's UFC victims, but he was still conquered a touch over three minutes into the fight.
SERGEI PAVLOVICH DOES IT AGAIN 😱 ANOTHER FIRST ROUND KO! #UFCVegas71 pic.twitter.com/xwfCxf8u7M
— UFC (@ufc) April 23, 2023
"Where's my belt?" Pavlovich motioned to the camera after extending his KO streak.
Pavlovich vs. Blaydes was a meritocratic fight to determine who had the best case on paper to challenge for the UFC heavyweight championship. Pavlovich and Blaydes are currently ranked No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in the UFC's official rankings. Ahead of them are Miocic -- who hasn't been seen since losing to Francis Ngannou in March 2021 -- and Ciryl Gane, who suffered a lifeless loss to Jon Jones last month.
The infatuation with Jones vs. Miocic persists but an actual date has yet to emerge for the fight. Another imposing performance by Pavlovich should make him a lock to challenge Jones for the heavyweight title or Miocic for an interim title if delays persist.
Pavlovich improved to 18-1 as a professional and has looked unstoppable since dropping his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem. He boasts the longest first-round KO streak in modern UFC history (six) and is one short of tying Chuck Liddell all-time for most consecutive UFC KOs (seven). It was a disappointing loss for Blaydes, who has now suffered three KOs while on the precipice of a breakthrough title shot.
