Sergei Pavlovich stops Curtis Blaydes with first round TKO, calls for title shot – UFC Vegas 71 Highlights
Curtis Blaydes went toe-to-toe with Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich in a battle of top-five heavyweights at UFC Vegas 71 on Saturday night.
The two heavyweight behemoths came out swinging heavy leather from the get-go, but it was Pavlovich that had the clear speed advantage. Putting pressure on early, the Russian landed a big overhand right near the two-minute mark that dropped Blaydes. ‘Razor’ immediately bounced back up and got on his bicycle as Pavlovich continued his pursuit.
Sergei Pavlovich continued pumping out his jab and had Blaydes rocked after landing an especially stiff one. Smelling blood in the water, Pavlovich swarmed, landing a flurry of strikes against the fence. A right uppercut snuck threw and sent ‘Razor’ crashing to the canvas. Jumping on top of his man, Pavlovich unleashed a series of strikes on the ground forcing referee Marc Goddard to step in and call for the stoppage in the opening round.
Official Result: Sergei Pavlovich def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO (strikes) at 3:08 of Round 1
