Sergei Pavlovich Losses: How Many Times Has the UFC Heavyweight Suffered Defeat?

The reputed Russian heavyweight, Sergei Pavlovich, stunned UFC fans when he knocked the lights out of his UFC Vegas 71 rival, Curtis Blaydes. Pavlovich proved his unmatched KO power with this first-round victory yet again. A look at his record will say that the 31-year-old has amassed a remarkable 83% of his pro-MMA wins by KOs or TKOs. Even the famed Australian UFC heavyweight, Tai ‘Bam Bam’ Tuivasa, couldn’t stand his powerful strikes and picked up a KO defeat, that too in the very first round of their UFC on ESPN 42 bout.

To date, Pavlovich has amassed 18 wins in his pro-MMA career, out of which 15 have come by means of a KO or a TKO. The discussions about him are often based on his brutal striking. But, this diverts the fans’ attention from his overall record. Pavlovich is a relatively new face on the UFC’s heavyweight roster. This also may be the reason behind a large chunk of fans being completely ignorant about his record. Well, it says that Pavlovich isn’t an undefeated fighter. But do you know how many times he has tasted defeat in his entire career?

Sergei Pavlovich was once defeated at his own game

The Russian, Pavlovich fought the first 12 bouts in his pro-MMA career outside the UFC. However, he managed to maintain an undefeated record throughout his pre-UFC career. But he learned that UFC fighters are at a completely different level in his very first UFC fight.

Pavlovich had been knocking fighters out front, left, and center before his UFC debut. But he couldn’t withstand the pressure when a UFC athlete played his own game against him. The Russian picked up his first and only pro-MMA loss to date in his very first UFC fight on 24 November 2018.

His rival was none other than the famed Dutch UFC star, Alistair Overeem. Despite finding some initial success on the feet, Pavlovich started to struggle as ‘The Reem’ started closing the distance. Overeem’s knees from a Thai clinch did some serious damage to Pavlovich’s midsection.

But he got severely compromised after getting tripped by his rival, who sent him to the canvas. Overeem ended the fight quickly after this, as Pavlovich could offer no defense against his brutal ground and pound. This UFC Fight Night 141 loss that came in 2018 stands as his only pro-MMA loss to date.

Sergei Pavlovich’s next rival has enough to get him into trouble

The noted UFC champ, Jon Jones‘s withdrawal from UFC 295 has put Pavlovich on the card. He will be facing the reputed English UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall on 11 November 2023 at the famous Madison Square Garden. Aspinall currently holds the #4 rank in UFC’s heavyweight division and will enter the cage after a TKO victory against Marcin Tybura in his previous fight.

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Most UFC fans may agree that Aspinall is a pretty well-rounded fighter. He showcases almost equal prowess while standing and on the ground. While Pavlovich can definitely match Aspinall’s standup and striking game, the same can’t be said once the fight goes to the ground. Hence, it’s quite understandable that The Russian will look to have a standup battle against his English rival. But do you think he will be able to defeat Aspinall and keep his loss count limited to one?

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