Sergei Pavlovich (17-1) and Curtis Blaydes (12-3-1) are two heavyweights with championship ambitions. Both are great fighters but with different sets of skills. Pavlovich is a fantastic boxer, while Blaydes is a great wrestler. Which fighting style will prevail on Saturday?
Sergei Pavlovich vs Curtis Blaydes Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sergei Pavlovich | +147 |
| Curtis Blaydes | -172 |
*Odds taken from BetOnline on Monday, April 10, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
- Time: ~10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN 2 / ESPN+
Pavlovich Looking for His Sixth Straight KO/TKO Win
Sergei Pavlovich has an 84-inch-long reach, which makes it very hard for his opponents to get to him. He also averages 8.07 significant strikes per minute, which is among the best in the UFC. Plus, his strikes are incredibly powerful as evident from the fact that he’s got an 82.35% knockout rate.
Actually, this guy has won his last five UFC fights by KO/TKO. Can he add a sixth straight win by this method on Saturday? Oddsmakers aren’t so sure about that. They see his opponent as the favorite to triumph in the UFC Vegas 71 headliner.
Blaydes Needs to Take the Fight to the Floor
Curtis Blaydes is a well-rounded fighter, but we honestly doubt he could outbox Pavlovich. After all, not even such great strikers as Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa managed to outbox this guy. That said, Blaydes will probably try to outwrestle his opponent.
The American is a fantastic wrestler who lands 6.05 takedowns per 15 minutes on average. His takedown percentage is 53%, which is pretty solid as well. What’s interesting is that he’s never won a fight by submission. Instead, he prefers to go for “ground-and-pound” which explains why he’s won 12 of his fights by KO/TKO.
Sergei Pavlovich vs Curtis Blaydes Prediction
Curtis Blaydes has no other option but to try and take Pavlovich down, where he needs to try to destroy him with punches. He’s done this many times in the past and we think the same is going to happen on Saturday.
Pick: Curtis Blaydes to win by KO/TKO