Curtis “Razor” Blaydes hopes to secure the next Heavyweight championship shot if he defeats surging Russian competitor Sergei Pavlovich during their upcoming bout. The main Heavyweight event will not last all five rounds. Pavlovich, who has won 14 of his 17 professional matches by knockout, is the most dominant fighter. Blaydes makes an interesting decision about his future after defeating Pavlovich.
Curtis Blaydes stated, “If I won, I will wait.” I’ll be waiting for the title shot. I don’t really care. I won’t care if it is Jon, Stipe or Brock Lesnar. I’m in it for the glory. It’s not the reason I get up in the morning and work out. I’m in this for the money. I know that if I win the belt, it will mean more money. I don’t really care who I fight to win the belt. Jon would be a great choice. It’s a good thing for my legacy but not everything.
Blaydes, who has come close to a title shot on two occasions, will now wait for the shot. What matters is not if Brock Lesnar returns, or what happens. He feels he deserves to be the next champion after the Jones-Stipe fight. For some reason, the Jones vs Stipe fight has been further delayed.
Blaydes came close to winning the title in 2021, but got caught up with Derrick Lewis’ hand. Blaydes fought against upcoming competitors like Jarizinho Rozenstruik and Chris Daukas to stay among the top contenders of the division. Pavlovich remains. If he defeats Pavlovich, he will most likely be given the next shot at the title.
Curtis Blaydes’ teammate, Sergei Pavlovich, defeated him in 2018
Alistair Overeem was a teammate to Curtis Blaydes.
Pavlovich lost only one fight in his career, and that was against Alistair Overeem. Overeem, Curtis Blaydes and Fight Elevation Colorado trained together. Pavlovich was fighting in the UFC for the first time. He was well-known for his fighting abilities in the Russian MMA circuit.
Overeem started to mix his kickboxing with wrestling as he applied pressure. Pavlovich responded with some takedowns, but Overeem eventually got his opponent to the ground, where he used ground and pound for the TKO.
Pavlovich has only one blemish on his career: the fight with Overeem. Pavlovich, who has since won a string of impressive UFC fights, will face Overeem’s teammate Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 222.
