Sergei Pavlovich bounced back into form in Shanghai, grinding out a unanimous decision win (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) over Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Known for his quick knockouts, Pavlovich instead showed patience and composure over three rounds, pressing forward with heavy punches and low kicks to outpoint a game Cortes-Acosta. The victory was Pavlovich’s second straight since his setbacks against Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall, and it reaffirmed his place in the heavyweight elite at #3 in the rankings.

The most compelling next step for Pavlovich is a rematch with Curtis Blaydes. The two previously met in April 2023, when Pavlovich stopped Blaydes in the first round with devastating punches. Since then, both men have faced adversity but rebounded strongly, Pavlovich with back-to-back decision wins, and Blaydes with a recent split-decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev to reestablish himself in the top 5.

This rematch offers much more intrigue the second time around. Pavlovich’s takedown defense was never truly tested in their first meeting, as he blitzed Blaydes early. A more cautious, prepared Blaydes could lean on his elite wrestling to see how Pavlovich handles extended grappling exchanges. On the flip side, Pavlovich now has experience winning longer fights, which makes him more dangerous if he can prevent takedowns and gradually break Blaydes down again. With both sitting at #3 and #4, respectively, the timing lines up perfectly for a title eliminator bout.

Last Five Fights – Sergei Pavlovich:

1. Win over Waldo Cortes-Acosta – Decision (unanimous), UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang (August 23, 2025)
2. Win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik – Decision (unanimous), UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov (February 1, 2025)
3. Loss to Alexander Volkov – Decision (unanimous), UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov (June 22, 2024)
4. Loss to Tom Aspinall – KO (punches), UFC 295 (November 11, 2023) – Interim Heavyweight Title
5. Win over Curtis Blaydes – TKO (punches), UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes (April 22, 2023)

Last Five Fights – Curtis Blaydes:

1. Win over Rizvan Kuniev – Decision (split), UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. (June 21, 2025)
2. Loss to Tom Aspinall – KO (punches), UFC 304 (July 27, 2024) – Interim Heavyweight Title
3. Win over Jailton Almeida – KO (punches), UFC 299 (March 9, 2024)
4. Loss to Sergei Pavlovich – TKO (punches), UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes (April 22, 2023)
5. Win over Tom Aspinall – TKO (knee injury), UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall (July 23, 2022)