Another hard KO in the first round! Sergei Pavlovich sends Curtis Blaydes down twice and challenges Jon Jones for the UFC heavyweight championship belt

The UFC last night held a Fight Night tournament once again at the UFC Apex complex. The main event brought the most attention, of course, as Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich continued his streak of first-round stoppages. This time he sent Curtis Blaydes to the ground and is looking to fight Jon Jones for the UFC heavyweight championship belt.

The heavyweight battle was dominated by Russia’s Pavlovich, who is riding a streak of six first-round finishes in the UFC

The UFC had another Vegas 71 tournament, which took place at the UFC Apex complex in Las Vegas near the UFC Performance Institute. The night’s main event catered to the division’s number three and four heavyweights, Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes.

The American Blaydes was riding a record of seven wins and a single loss to Derek Lewis following his loss to Francis Ngannou. He was looking to get as close to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division, where the legendary Jon Jones sits on the throne, in a fight with the division’s number three contender.

But standing in the way of his dream was the rangy Russian fighter Sergei Pavlovich, who has been knocking out one opponent after another. But after entering the world’s biggest MMA organization with a defeat to Alistair Overeem, he has started a string of first-round wins to rightfully rise to the top of the weight class.

After another knockout, he wants a fight for the belt held by the legendary Jon Jones

The bout between the two heavyweights started at a high tempo from the outset and the opening minutes belonged to Blaydes. He made great use of distance and shot his Russian opponent well, but made the fatal mistake of opting to fight him standing.

Pavlovich showed his machinations again and after just two minutes sent the American to the floor for the first time. The latter tried unsuccessfully for a takedown to give the onslaught of the Russian fighter some breathing room, but after another 60 seconds he again unleashed another hard combination, after which the referee stopped the fight.

The Russian thus rides a six-fight winning streak in the UFC, all of which were ended in the first round. “Where’s my belt,” he asked during the interview while still in the octagon, referring to the $50,000 bonus.

He finally got it from Dana White and may get a title shot. For now, though, it looks like a Jones vs. Miocic fight, which would mean a longer layoff for Pavlovich.

Source: UFC, Premier Sport, Twitter account – Actu MMA