Sergei Pavlovich vs Tai Tuivasa Prediction: the Mighty Russian to Taste the Blood

On the night of December 4, the UFC Orlando tournament will take place in the United States. 

Pavlovich's career in the UFC began in 2018 and could have started better. Sergei immediately fought the experienced Alistar Overeem, and nothing good came of this venture. At the end of the first round, Overeem defeated the Russian fighter by a technical knockout. In 2019, he won by knockout against Marcelo Golm and Maurice Greene, and now his business would go uphill.

But then he had a black streak. Injuries and visa problems did not allow Pavlovich to fight, and he disappeared for two and a half years. And when the UFC began to forget about him, Sergei returned and was strongly reminded.

In March of this year, Pavlovich lost by TKO to Shamil Abdurakhimov, and in July, he crushed the UFC record holder Derrick Lewis. Two crazy victories allowed Pavlovich to soar to the fifth position in the heavyweight rankings.

The charismatic Aussie has been part of the UFC roster since 2017, but he announced himself in 2020. After three losses in a row, Tuivasa was on the fast track to being fired from the UFC, but he was reborn. Tai won five fights, brutally knocking out all of his opponents.

Tuivasa's signature celebration of drinking beer from the shoe has ceased to surprise people and has become commonplace. So, the Australian went from roster elimination candidate to championship contender. But to make his title ambitions known, Tuivasa needed to defeat Cyril Gane.

On September 3, Tai faced the Frenchman at the Paris tournament. He looked decent and even sent Gane to a knockdown. Still, we can't say the fighters were on the same level. The more creative and versatile Frenchman eventually got his way, defeating Tuivasa by TKO in the third round. And now Tai is burning to improve after this upsetting defeat.

We agree with the bookies about the favorite, but we see a more exciting option for a bet than just a win for the Russian fighter. Both opponents love to do standing fights and win by terrifying knockouts. Looking at the statistics, we can see that Pavlovich's last six bouts ended in the first round. Indeed, he repeatedly said that he is ready to fight three or five rounds if necessary, but it is clear that he has no desire. At UFC Orlando, we will have a spectacular but short-lived fight, ending with the victory of the Russian all-mighty.

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