Sergei Pavlovich extends first round knockout streak, stops Curtis Blaydes in UFC Vegas 71 main event
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to us tonight, April 22, 2023, for UFC Vegas 71, going down live from the Apex Center in Enterprise, Nevada.
Headlining the event was a heavyweight clash between no. 3 ranked former FNG champion Sergei Pavlovich (17-1) and no. 4 ranked Curtis Blaydes (17-3, 1 NC).
This was a very meaningful affair that perhaps declared the next challenger for the UFC heavyweight championship.
Pavlovich, following defeat to Alistair Overeem in his promotional debut back in 2018, had since won his last five-straight, all via first round knockout. Blaydes on the other hand came into the bout on a three-fight win streak, going 7-1 over his latest eight appearances, only ever losing to former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis in a fight he was looking great in up until he got caught.
Of Pavlovich’s 17 wins coming in, 14 came via knockout with three decisions, while of Blaydes’ 17 wins coming in, 12 came via knockout with five decisions. What’s more, of their four combined defeats, all four came via knockout. Both of these men are knockout artists with a combined record of 34-4, not a single fight ending in submission.
Continue reading to see how this heavyweight main event went down:
Official Result: Sergei Pavlovich def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO (punches) at 3:08 of round one
Both men open up the bout swinging heavy leather in complete disregard for the others power. Each of their chins hold up through the first couple minutes, until Pavlovich drops Blaydes with an overhand right.
Blaydes returns right to his feet immediately following, but is cracked with a jab shortly thereafter that also hurts him badly.
Pavlovich lands another solid jab that again stumbled Blaydes, following it up with a combination of punches that then drops him. A few follow up punches later and the referee was forced to stop the action.
Pavlovich was just too accurate tonight, he really looked incredible in this performance.
Sergei Pavlovich makes it six first-round KOs in a row. You gotta feel bad for Curtis Blaydes: it's his third time getting KOed in a possible title eliminator #UFCVegas71 https://t.co/PSSEtv3291
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) April 23, 2023
Sergei Pavlovich is now 18-1 as a professional with 15 knockout wins coming via knockout. He improves his first round knockout streak to six-straight tonight at UFC Vegas 71, the longest in UFC history.
If you enjoyed this piece, feel free to share it on social media!
