When it comes to main events involving Jon Jones, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is leaving nothing to chance. Prior to UFC 285 in March, the promotion made certain it had a top contender available to make weight and compete should Jones or Ciryl Gane fall out of their main attraction. That fighter was Sergei Pavlovich, who hit his proper marks and ended up watching from the stands the next day. The organization is doing this for Jones’ next title tilt atop UFC 295, with Pavlovich (18-1) once again on standby, as confirmed by multiple outlets.
Sergei Pavlovich’s Impressive Record
Russia’s Pavlovich last competed in April, where he decimated Curtis Blaydes in just over three minutes to put himself in the top echelon of the heavyweight division. Pavlovich’s lone career defeat came in his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem back in 2018. Since then, Pavlovich has crushed the competition, stringing together six consecutive first-round knockouts over increasingly impressive competition. As a pro, the Eagles MMA representative sports an 83% knockout rate, having secured 15 of his 18 victories in the very first round.
UFC 295 Event Details
UFC 295 is scheduled for November 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Heavyweight kingpin Jones will put his belt on the line in his first defense against former champ Stipe Miocic atop the billing. The co-main event has not yet been made official, and only three other fights are currently listed on the lineup. These include a middleweight rumble pitting Derek Brunson against Roman Dolidze, a strawweight clash of Jessica Andrade vs. Mackenzie Dern, and a flyweight tilt when Joshua Van faces Kevin Borjas.