Sergei Pavlovich, Alex Pereira and more: 5 scariest UFC fighters in their division

Some UFC fighters strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. It is a rare occurrence as mixed martial artists at the highest level are conditioned to fear no one. If they fear anything at all, it's the loss of an opportunity they've worked hard to earn, the fruits of their labor after a lengthy win streak.

But sometimes, a terrifying force emerges in a division. Few will forget the ominous presence that Vitor Belfort cast over the 185-pound weight class during his days as 'TRT Vitor.' Even fewer will forget how light heavyweights throughout the division feared the late Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson's knockout power.

Those, however, were the phenoms of yesteryear. So what of today's UFC fighters? Who are the mixed martial artists that are avoided? The ones who either shut out everyone's lights or make sure that even in defeat, their opponent leaves the octagon with serious battle scars?

#5. Zhang Weili, UFC women's strawweight champion

Before the rise of Zhang Weili, the boogeywoman of the 115-pound division was Jéssica Andrade, no matter what Joanna Jędrzejczyk might say about that. The Brazilian was the only fighter in the division with true knockout power, but that wasn't all, she was freakishly strong, had endless cardio, and an iron chin.

She famously walked through Rose Namajunas' punches to knock her out cold by lifting her with a high-crotch takedown and slamming her on her head. But then, she crossed swords with Zhang Weili, an offensive dynamo that was everything Andrade was, but with the skill and technique, the Brazilian never had.

I don't blame Carla Esparza for being afraid of Zhang Weili. pic.twitter.com/2d6kphZI3s

No one hit harder, no one was stronger, and no one was faster. 'Magnum' nuked Andrade in the first round and despite her two losses to Namajunas, bounced back by demolishing Jędrzejczyk's iron chin, instilling so much fear that the then reigning champion Carla Esparza sought to delay a matchup with her.

It was understandable. Esparza couldn't strike with her, nor could she take her power, but what she didn't know was that she couldn't even wrestle her. She was thoroughly out grappled and outmuscled en route to a submission loss. If she doesn't flatline her foe with a knockout, she submits them. There's no escape.

#4. Shavkat Rakhmonov, UFC welterweight

Undefeated fighters generally carry a mystique about them. Some wonder if they can even be beaten. Alternatively, fighters with a high finishing rate pose enough of a threat that their opponents take a far more cautious approach to avoid becoming another statistic.

Unfortunately, for UFC welterweights, Shavkat Rakhmonov is both unbeaten and a finisher. In fact, he has finished everyone he has ever faced, be it by knockout or submission. He has done so without saying much at all. He is a silent assassin and one of the most avoided fighters at 170 pounds.

March 4 - UFC 285

Shavkat Rakhmonov defeats Geoff Neal via Standing Rear Naked Choke in the 3rd

One of the all time nasty finishes. I will never forget how Shavkat just drops him and walks away

My Fight of the Year so far pic.twitter.com/vktYAZmMjZ

Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, a two-time welterweight title challenger, openly admitted to avoiding a matchup with 'The Nomad' due to the strength of his grappling skills. Meanwhile, Li Jingliang was accused by Shavkat Rakhmonov himself of ducking him.

When he walked through Geoff Neal's bombs, rocking his foe in return, before choking him with a rare standing rear-naked choke and dropping him on the mat like a corpse, it was clear a monster had arrived. Even the iron chin of Vicente Luque couldn't withstand Geoff Neal's onslaught, but 'The Nomad?' He smiled.

#3. Alex Pereira, UFC light heavyweight

For a time, it looked like there was no hope for middleweights who dreamed of freedom from Israel Adesanya's iron-fisted rule over the division. But then, Alex Pereira arrived. Only, he wasn't a beacon of hope, he was a stone-faced giant who left a trail of bodies in his wake, courtesy of a flying knee and nuclear left hook.

He was a ghost from Israel Adesanya's past and the Nigerian-New Zealander's previous losses came back to haunt him when 'Poatan,' whose alias literally means 'Hands of Stone,' TKO'd him to become the middleweight champion. After losing the title in a rematch, he is now scheduled for his light heavyweight debut.

FLYING KNEE KNOCKOUT FOR ALEX PEREIRA 😱

Stream #UFC268 next on @ESPNPlus ➡️ ES.PN/UFC268TW pic.twitter.com/A4GSCHeEZ2

But 205 pounds is a wasteland in the UFC, with three top fighters—Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka, and Aleksandar Rakić— sidelined by serious injuries, and former middleweights as unremarkable as Anthony Smith ranking high in the top 10. What's even worse for them is that Pereira is actually no stranger to 205 pounds.

During his days as a kickboxer, he captured the light heavyweight title in Glory, the world's premier kickboxing organization. He is large for the division, matching even Dominick Reyes in size. In a limping division with no strong wrestlers besides Magomed Ankalaev, Alex Pereira's left hook and destructive power are terrifying.

#2. Justin Gaethje, UFC lightweight

Justin Gaethje is arguably the most violent fighter on the roster. He has a long string of Fight of the Night honors, is as heavy-handed as a 155-pounder could hope to be, and has no regard for his own well-being. 'The Highlight' is not afraid to walk through the line of fire, taking a hit to land his own.

And why not? He knows no one can take his punches. Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has fought Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, has described Justin Gaethje as the hardest puncher he's ever faced. 'The Highlight' stopped Tony Ferguson's 12-fight win streak and gave him a career-altering beating.

#OnThisDay in 2019, The Highlight added another big KO to his reel 👊🎞

Watch all of @Justin_Gaethje's fights back only on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/qa7f2ZsRiL

Even in fights he loses, he almost always ensures that his opponent leaves the cage a limping, bloody mess on their way to the hospital. And when he wins? He leaves his opponents so broken that it would be no surprise to see them get stretchered out of the octagon.

Now, he is scheduled to fight Dustin Poirier for the 'BMF' title, and no championship is more fitting for a man so violent.

#1. Sergei Pavlovich, UFC heavyweight

In the wake of Francis Ngannou's departure from the UFC heavyweight division, Sergei Pavlovich has emerged as the 265-pound weight class' most destructive wrecking machine. But what makes him, in particular, so terrifying? He fights in a division where everyone has knockout power, yet he still stands out.

Every heavyweight can shut an opponent's lights out, but Pavlovich is a special breed of monster. Along his six-fight win streak, he flatlined Tai Tuivasa, a known power-puncher who Ciryl Gane described as the hardest hitter he's ever faced. So what happened when Tuivasa landed hard on Pavlovich? Nothing.

Sergei Pavlovich defeats Curtis Blaydes via TKO in the 1st at UFC Vegas 71

Sergei’s 6th straight finish in the UFC. He gets the POTN $50k bonus

He will be fighting for the title next

(@CombatLibrary) pic.twitter.com/zHtSYvPO9H

The towering Russian simply walked through 'Bam Bam's' bombs and knocked him out for trying. In fact, he did the same against Derrick Lewis, the man with the most knockouts in UFC history. He simply walked into the pocket with him and traded with zero fear, scoring the knockout seconds later.

That's been Pavlovich's tale of the tape. His chin is supernatural, and his power is earth-shattering. He's a hulking monster of a man who has ended all of his last six opponents in the first round.