“Pavlovic hit an overhand right in such a way that my mouthpiece almost flew out, but it’s moments like that that I do my best work when a big and scary guy is coming at me,” MMA Fighting quoted the Brit as saying. “That’s when I embrace fear with open arms and show the best I can do. A lot of people in this game, and in life in general, hide from fear and say, ‘I’m not scared,’ but I openly admit it. I’m scared, but I still do what I have to do, and I do it in the best possible way”
“I’m a pretty friendly and nice guy myself, but when the doors of the octagon close, I can do things that other heavyweights can’t do. My mind works differently – I see shots that others don’t see and make decisions that others can’t. I cast a glance at my opponent, see the holes in their game, and just get to work.”
On November 11 at UFC 295 in New York City, Tom Aspinall won the vacant UFC heavyweight championship belt by knocking out Sergey Pavlovic as early as 69 seconds into the match. The world’s strongest league decided to introduce an interim title after the division’s current champion, Jon Jones, tore a pectoral muscle two weeks before the event and withdrew from his fight against Stipe Miocic.