Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich is a Russian heavyweight competing in the UFC. Born in Orlovsky, Rostov Oblast, Russia, he began Greco-Roman wrestling at age five and competed in the sport through his school years. After completing mandatory military service in Russia's Airborne Forces, Pavlovich shifted his focus to combat sambo and universal fighting disciplines, disciplines that would shape the base of his mixed martial arts game.

Before signing with the UFC, Pavlovich built his credentials on the Russian regional circuit, winning national, European, and world titles in universal fighting and army hand-to-hand combat. He captured the Fight Nights Global heavyweight championship in 2017 and defended it successfully before moving to the sport's biggest stage. He trains out of Eagles MMA in Moscow.

Pavlovich fights as an orthodox striker whose game is built around heavy hands and finishing instinct. His attack centers on crisp boxing combinations delivered with unusual speed and power for his frame, and he has shown a willingness to close distance and end fights the moment an opening appears rather than settle into a longer striking exchange.

That approach produced one of the most feared knockout stretches in UFC heavyweight history: a run of six consecutive first-round stoppage wins that included finishes over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Curtis Blaydes, each dispatched in a matter of seconds. That streak carried him into an interim UFC heavyweight title opportunity against Tom Aspinall