Pavlovich to cut down Blaydes?

Sergei Pavlovich will look to cut Curtis Blaydes down to the size when the pair meet in the heavyweight main event of a UFC Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 23 April 2023.

Pavlovich (17-1) has put together a five-fight winning streak, most recently making quick work of the dangerous Tai Tuivasa with a TKO that arrived in less than one minute of the first round in their match back in December of last year.

The 30-year-old Russian has also defeated Derrick Lewis, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Maurice Greene and Marcelo Golm since his one and only professional defeat, which came at the hands of Alistair Overeem in late 2018.

“You watch tapes, you study, I can’t exactly tell you what it is that we do, but obviously we study our opponents really hard,” said Pavlovich, who has risen to third in the heavyweight rankings and could become the first man Jon Jones faces in defending the heavyweight crown he claimed last month.

“We make sure that we know and prepare for all aspects of the opponent’s game. The thing is, a lot of work goes into preparing for any opponent, it doesn’t matter who it is. The fact is, what you see is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Blaydes (17-3, 1 NC) has racked up a string of three victories, though the latest – in July last year – was against Tom Aspinall in a match which lasted just 15 seconds before the Englishman suffered a major knee injury. The 32-year-old ‘Razor’ was last in full blooded action in March of 2022, claiming a second-round TKO triumph over Chris Daukaus, and he is also looking to establish himself as a potential title contender.

In fact, Blaydes is already talking up a showdown with Jones, claiming that he would have several advantages over ‘Bones’: “Size, power, explosiveness. He’s not the most explosive guy. He’s very creative with the striking, but he’s not very explosive. I think he’s more well rounded, but the wrestling, the size, the explosion, and power, I think jab for jab, if we both connect, he’ll go backwards, and I won’t.”

The rest of the main card features a bantamweight co-main event between Song Yadong and Ricky Simon; Brad Tavares v Bruno Silva in a middleweight match; Jeremiah Wells faces fellow welterweight Matthew Semelsberger; Bobby Green v Jared Gordon in the lightweight division; and a women’s featherweight opener between Iasmin Lucindo and Brogan Walker-Sanchez.

UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich v Blaydes – Main card

- Main event: Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich v Curtis Blaydes

- Bantamweight: Song Yadong v Ricky Simon

- Middleweight: Brad Tavares v Bruno Silva

- Welterweight: Jeremiah Wells v Matthew Semelsberger

- Lightweight: Bobby Green v Jared Gordon

- Women’s strawweight: Iasmin Lucindo v Brogan Walker-Sanchez