5 Things You Might Not Know About Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich finds himself in prime position as a young contender in an aging Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division.

The brick-fisted 30-year-old will ride a stellar 17-1 record into his sixth year with the Las Vegas-based organization, having climbed all the way into the Top 5. Pavlovich has rattled off five consecutive victories since he suffered his only professional setback in a technical knockout loss to former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem in 2018. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 42, where he wiped out Tai Tuivasa with punches just 54 seconds into their brief but eventful Dec. 3 confrontation.

As Pavlovich awaits word from UFC matchmakers regarding his next assignment inside the Octagon, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His roots are of the small-town variety.

Pavlovich was born in Orlovsky, Russia, a city of roughly 19,000 people situated some 750 miles southeast of Moscow.

2. He showed a propensity for quick-strike offense from the start.

The Russian heavyweight made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 22 on Dec. 20, 2014, when he took care of Alexander Derevyanko with first-round punches at a Fight Nights Global event. Pavlovich went on to finish his first six opponents inside one round, doing so 8:52 combined.

3. He padded his portfolio with gold.

Pavlovich captured the inaugural Fight Nights Global heavyweight championship at FNG 68, where he laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Mikhail Mokhnatkin in 2017. He made one successful title defense, then signed with the UFC less than a year later. Yusup Shuaev and Grigoriy Ponomarev have held the FNG heavyweight crown since Pavlovich’s departure.

4. Off-the-charts physical tools buoy the hype surrounding him.

The Eagles MMA representative owns an 84-inch reach, tying him with Jon Jones and Stefan Struve for the greatest wingspan in UFC history. Only two other fighters have exceeded 82 inches in reach inside the Octagon: Francis Ngannou and Kennedy Nzechukwu, both at 83.

5. Adversity interrupted his rise.

Pavlovich missed two full calendar years due to injury and visa issues. He punched out Maurice Greene a mere 2:11 into their UFC Fight Night 162 pairing on Oct. 26, 2019 and did not compete again until March 19, 2022, when he cut down Shamil Abdurakhimov with punches 4:03 into their UFC Fight Night 204 encounter.