"I think he takes it" - UFC Hall of Famer makes bold Round 1 prediction for Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall fight
A UFC Hall of Famer recently made a bold prediction for the upcoming Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall fight, which will see both men vie for the interim heavyweight title.
The heavyweight clash will now be the new co-main event for UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden next Saturday. The event was originally scheduled to be headlined by the heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and champion Jon Jones, but 'Bones' suffered a pectoral injury and was forced to withdraw from the card as he required surgery.
Due to Jones' injury, the UFC went in another direction and offered surging contenders Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall an incredible opportunity on short notice. UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping was asked by a fan what he believes will transpire in the bout and he responded by leaning towards his fellow countryman to earn a quick win.
He wrote:
"I think he takes it. Round 1. Big fan of Sergei as well though."
It will be interesting to see whether Michael Bisping's prediction will be correct when Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall compete in their highly anticipated interim heavyweight title bout.
Sergei Pavlovich riding lengthy winning streak ahead of UFC 295
Sergei Pavlovich has become a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division as he is riding a lengthy winning streak ahead of UFC 295.
The No.2 ranked UFC heavyweight has won 6 consecutive fights dating back to 2019, with all of them coming via first-round KO/TKO. 15 of his 18 career wins have come via KO/TKO and he will look to add Tom Aspinall to his impressive resume and become interim UFC heavyweight champion.
The only loss in the Russian heavyweight's career came back in 2018, when he lost a first-round TKO to former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Despite the loss, Pavlovich bounced back in a big way as he has defeated some of the top heavyweights in the promotion including Derrick Lewis, Tia Tuivasa, and most recently, Curtis Blaydes.