The rise of Sergei Pavlovich in the Heavyweight division has been nothing sort of spectacular. The Russian powerhouse, in his short UFC career, has pocketed wins over the likes of former contenders Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa and is already knocking on the doors of a title shot. Now, as the KO artist prepares for a crucial fight against Curtis Blaydes, he shared a small glimpse of his lightning-fast hands to serve as a reminder of how dangerous he could be inside the cage.
The Russian’s latest upload, showed him shadowboxing under a bridge. It also demonstrated his quick hands that have served him so well in his career so far. While his impressive hands have helped him draw comparisons to former champ Francis Ngannou, it has also made people wonder about another possible matchup for the Russian. As he prepares for a fight against Blaydes, fans pushed for a title shot against newly crowned champ Jon Jones even claiming that Pavlovich was the biggest threat to the American.
UFC heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich’s shadowboxing leaves fans in awe
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Pavlovich’s post clearly left fans stunned with his jaw-dropping exhibition of shadowboxing. The excitement amongst fans of the Russian sensation was so high that a few of them even dubbed him the future champ of the heavyweight division.
Great workout on the beach! 👊 #ufc #pavlovichteam pic.twitter.com/Fy5r6maLDT
— Sergei Pavlovich (@SPavlovich13) March 9, 2023
Among the many reactions on the thread, some displayed their sheer amazement at the 30-year-old’s speed.
That’s intimidating as hell coming from a guy that big. #futurechamp ?
— Eagles827 (@BMode827) March 10, 2023
If Jon Jones beats stipe this is a fight I'd love to see him vs Jones 👀
— Lord Jallum (@VibingJallum) March 9, 2023
One scary man….even the ocean was scared to get close #FutureChamp
— @Bongernator (@Bongernator1) March 10, 2023
One scary man….even the ocean was scared to get close #FutureChamp
— @Bongernator (@Bongernator1) March 10, 2023
Looking fast as hell man!
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) March 9, 2023
One fan posed an intriguing question on the thread.
@teothegoat420 Jones via submission round 2 or are Sergei’s hands too much?
— Higy Smalls (@thejordanhigy) March 9, 2023
A few were quite confident of the threat that he posed to Jones.
I think he is going to be the future UFC heavyweight champion mark my words.
— Suren Sam Gazaryan (@Suro3318) March 9, 2023
Biggest threat to jones imo
— Chris Plante (@cpproaudio) March 9, 2023
Sergei that hand speed is scary!! https://t.co/779ff8lnkS
— lifeiswar $BLOCK 🌶 (@_lifeiswar_) March 10, 2023
It appears as if the Russian is well on his way to superstardom, with a crazy fan following like this. And a fight could have come much sooner as he gets ready to face Blaydes this April in what could be a title eliminator of some sort.
Pavlovich to face Curtis Blaydes on April 23rd
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As a reward for his enthralling performances inside the cage, Pavlovich is all set to make a huge step up with his next UFC bout. The 30-year-old, after bagging multiple ‘performance of the night’ bonuses, will be headlining the UFC: Fight Night event on April 23rd in the Apex.
For the 17-1 fighter, this bout could open up a title shot against current champ Jon Jones. Although ‘Bones’ is expected to go up against Stipe Miocic after the number one Pound for Pound called out the former champ in his post-fight interview.
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But if the timelines end up aligning for the Russian, we might see him fight for the title very soon, as claimed by his fans.
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