Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes will clash in a UFC Fight Night main event this weekend, with the winner likely to establish himself as the next heavyweight title challenger.
Pavlovich (17-1) is ranked third in the division, and he enters Las Vegas having won his last five fights with knockouts in the first round. In December, the Russian stopped Tai Tuivasa in 54 seconds, five months after beating Derrick Lewis in 55 seconds.
Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Blaydes (17-3, 1 No Contest) has won three in a row, most recently beating Tom Aspinall in London in July, when the Briton suffered a knee injury seconds into the fight. American Blaydes has occupied this position before – being one win from a title fight – and on Saturday he will look to finally secure a shot at UFC gold.
The winner of Saturday’s main event will likely be the next challenger for the UFC heavyweight champion, whether that be the incumbent Jon Jones or divisional ‘GOAT’ Stipe Miocic – Jones’ expected opponent this summer.
Here’s all you need to know.
When is it?
This week’s UFC Fight Night takes place on Saturday 22 April, at the UFC’s Apex institute in Las Vegas.
The prelims will begin at 9pm BST (1pm PT, 3pm CT, 4pm ET), with the main card following at 12am BST on Sunday 23 April (4pm PT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET on Saturday).
How can I watch it?
The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights.
In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
Odds
Pavlovich – 27/20
Blaydes – 8/13
Full card (subject to change)
Main card
Sergei Pavlovich vs Curtis Blaydes (heavyweight)
Song Yadong vs Ricky Simon (bantamweight)
Brad Tavares vs Bruno Silva (middleweight)
Bobby Green vs Jared Gordon (lightweight)
Iasmin Lucindo vs Brogan Walker (women’s flyweight)
Jeremiah Wells vs Matthew Semelsberger (welterweight)
Prelims
Ricky Glenn vs Christos Giagos (lightweight)
Rani Yahya vs Montel Jackson (bantamweight)
Karol Rosa vs Norma Dumont (women’s featherweight)
Mohammed Usman vs Junior Tafa (heavyweight)
Francis Marshall vs William Gomis (featherweight)
Priscila Cachoeira vs Karine Silva (women’s flyweight)
Brady Hiestand vs Batgerel Danaa (bantamweight)
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