5 most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall
Despite not featuring a title fight at the top of the card, it’s safe to say that last night’s UFC Fight Night was one of the best events of 2022 thus far. There’s an argument, in fact, that UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall might have been one of the most memorable Fight Night shows of all time.
With a total of nine finishes – and just three bouts going the distance – there was some genuinely explosive stuff on offer. That was made even better by an absolutely raucous crowd.
On that note, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall.
#5. Sergei Pavlovich returns to UFC with a bang, stops Shamil Abdurakhimov
Probably because it didn’t involve a UK favourite, the heavyweight clash between Sergei Pavlovich and Shamil Abdurakhimov flew largely under the radar last night. However, after claiming a $50K bonus for a truly brutal finish, it’s difficult not to be excited about Pavlovich after his explosive performance.
The fight didn’t last long overall. Pavlovich was clearly lighter on his feet than his Dagestani opponent. While the two men exchanged from the off, it seemed only a matter of time before Pavlovich would land a bomb.
Sure enough, with about a minute or so to go in the opening round, he lunged in. Pavlovich caught Abdurakhimov with a vicious shovel uppercut, ala Tim Sylvia’s famous knockdown of Andrei Arlovski in 2006.
Abdurakhimov was sent sprawling to the ground. While he attempted to recover, Pavlovich wasted no time, opening up with some huge bombs to the head to seal his victory, smashing him until the Dagestani could do nothing but cover up.
When you consider that Pavlovich hadn’t fought since 2019, it was difficult not to be impressed by the Russian’s explosive showing. He should make his way into the top ten at heavyweight by next week, and the sky could well be the limit for him there.