Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Vladimirovich Pavlovich (; He was also the former Fight Nights Global heavyweight champion. As of June 20, 2026, he is #3 in the Meta UFC heavyweight rankings.

Background Sergei was born in 1992 in the village of Orlovsky, Rostov Oblast. At the age of five Pavlovich began to engage in Greco-Roman wrestling under the guidance of coach Alexander Fedorovich Aloyan. He trained specifically in wrestling until the 12th grade. After serving in the army, he began to train in Combat Sambo where he won most of his competitions.

He was invited to train for the Russian Olympic team but declined because of Sambo tournaments that he had at the time. He is believed to be the active UFC fighter with the largest ape index of 1.115.

Mixed martial arts career

Fight Nights Global Pavlovich started his professional MMA career in 2014 under the Fight Nights Global promotion, under which he won 12 fights without suffering a single defeat. On June 2, 2017, in a fight against Mikhail Mokhnatkin, he won the heavyweight title by unanimous decision. On November 19, 2017, he defended his heavyweight title in a fight against Kirill Sidelnikov.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Pavlovich made his UFC debut on November 24, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 141 against Alistair Overeem. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Pavlovich faced Marcelo Golm on April 20, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik. He won the fight via knockout. This win earned Performance of the Night award.

Pavlovich faced Maurice Greene on October 26, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 162. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Pavlovich was expected to face Ciryl Gane on August 8, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 174. Pavlovich however had to pull out because of an injury.

Pavlovich was expected to face Tom Aspinall on September 4, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 191. However, Pavlovich pulled out a week before the contest due to visa issues and was replaced by Sergey Spivak.

Pavlovich was scheduled to face Tanner Boser on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31. However, due to travel issues, the bout was scrapped.

Pavlovich faced Shamil Abdurakhimov on March 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.

Pavlovich fought Derrick Lewis on July 30, 2022, at UFC 277. He won the fight via TKO under a minute into the first round, though controversy arose as the stoppage by the referee was considered premature by fighters and fans alike.

Pavlovich faced Tai Tuivasa on December 3, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42. He won the fight via KO under a minute into the first round. With this win, he received the Performance of the Night award.

Pavlovich faced Curtis Blaydes on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. This performance subsequently earned Pavlovich his fourth UFC Performance Of The Night award.

Pavlovich faced Tom Aspinall for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. After some initial exchanges, Pavlovich was caught with a counter right hand and lost the bout via knockout in the first round.

Pavlovich faced Alexander Volkov on June 22, 2024, at UFC on ABC 6. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Pavlovich faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik on February 1, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 250. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Pavlovich faced former LFA Heavyweight Champion Waldo Cortes-Acosta on August 23, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 257. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Pavlovich faced Tallison Teixeira on May 30, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 277. He won the fight by knockout under a minute into the first round.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Four times) Tied (Don Frye) for the second longest knockout win streak in UFC history (6) (behind Chuck Liddell) Fight Matrix 2015 Male Rookie of the Year 2022 Comeback Fighter of the Year

Wushu Sanda

Russian Championship (Above 90 kg)

Mixed martial arts record Win

Tallison Teixeira KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo

Macau SAR, China Win

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang

Shanghai, China Win

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Loss

Alexander Volkov Decision (unanimous) UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Loss

Tom Aspinall KO (punches) UFC 295

New York City, New York, United States Win

Curtis Blaydes TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Tai Tuivasa KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland

Orlando, Florida, United States Win

Derrick Lewis TKO (punches) UFC 277

Dallas, Texas, United States Win

Shamil Abdurakhimov TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall

London, England Win

Maurice Greene TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren

Kallang, Singapore Win

Marcelo Golm KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik

Saint Petersburg, Russia Loss

Alistair Overeem TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2

Beijing, China Win

Kirill Sidelnikov TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 79

Penza, Russia | Win

Mikhail Mokhnatkin Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 68

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Alexei Kudin Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 54

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Akhmedshaikh Gelegaev TKO (knee and punches) Fight Nights Global 51

Kaspiysk, Russia Win

Chaban Ka TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 50

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Magomedbag Agaev Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 46

Moscow, Russia Win

Ruben Wolf TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 43

Moscow, Russia Win

Sultan Murtazaliev TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 41

Kaspiysk, Russia Win

Vladimir Daineko KO (punch) Fight Nights Global 40

Sochi, Russia Win

Ilja Škondrič TKO (punches) Full Fight 1

Banská Bystrica, Slovakia Win

Sergey Buinachev TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 33

Moscow, Russia Win

Alexander Derevyanko TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 29

Moscow, Russia