A new No. 1 contender at heavyweight may be crowned when Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich clash in the main event at the upcoming UFC card scheduled on April 22.
Multiple people who were aware of the plans for the promotion confirmed that the information was available to MMA Fighting Wednesday. UFC broadcast partner ESPN initially reported the matchup.
Pavlovich and
Blaydes currently sit at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, which adds even more potential impact to the five-round matchup in April.
A winner of three in a row with a 7-1 resume in his past eight fights, Blaydes has been knocking on the door of title contention for some time now as he continues to make a steady climb up the heavyweight rankings. His last win came against Tom Aspinall after the British heavyweight suffered a devastating knee injury. Blaydes defeated Chris Daukaus in consecutive bouts.
As for Pavlovich, the 30-year-old Russian has remained undefeated in the UFC since his lone loss to Alistair Overeem in his octagon debut. Pavlovich is now averaging five consecutive knockout wins since his initial loss to Alistair Overeem. This includes back-to-back victories over Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis.
With Jon Jones facing off against Ciryl Gane to decide a new champion in heavyweight at UFC 285, Blaydes, vs. Pavlovich might be a great way for the winner to get a shot at a future title.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/22/23610662/curtis-blaydes-vs-sergei-pavlovich-headlines-ufc-event-on-april-22?rand=96749
