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UFC star Sergei Pavlovich got backed to face Jon Jones next by former title challenger Chael Sonnen.
This past Saturday, Pavlovich faced fan favorite Tai Tuivasa at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando, Florida. Pavlovich went into the bout looking to extend his four-fight win streak against the rebounding Tuivasa, who was aiming to get back in the winning column after dropping his previous outing to Ciryl Gane. Pavlovich came out firing from the opening bell and handily dispatched the Australian brawler in just 54 seconds.
Following the result, Pavlovich became the first fighter in modern UFC history to rack up a five-fight win streak, with each victory coming by a first-round KO or TKO. The win boosted the 30-year-old Russian up two spots to become the new third-ranked heavyweight contender.
Former UFC title challenger Sonnen believes Pavlovich has done enough to warrant a shot at Jones.
“I could see in a very realistic scenario and it will seem like this is out of nowhere,” said Sonnen. “When the news drops it’s going to hit all of you guys, it’s going to blow you back. But I don’t feel that it should, I feel that this is very reasonable. One day, we wake up and we’ve got a graphic done, we’ve got a poster and an announcement, it’s Sergei Pavlovich versus Jon Jones either for the interim championship or the unified championship.
“There’s a very good argument as to why it should be Jones versus Sergei.”
Sonnen Argued Pavlovich Should Not Be Ruled Out Due to Age
Jones got linked to challenging the reigning champion Francis Ngannou and former division king Stipe Miocic in his heavyweight debut. However, no concrete developments happened, with both matchups falling apart due to negotiations and contract disputes.
UFC president Dana White stated Miocic would not be an option as the promotion was banking on Ngannou and Jones agreeing for a showdown expected to be in March 2023. Top five ranked heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes emerged as the backup option to face ‘Bones’ if a deal with Ngannou did not come.
According to ‘The Bad Guy,’ the narrative to push the younger guys in the sport should not eliminate Pavlovich’s chances of getting a big fight.
“Sergei is 30. We don’t know how old Francis is, he’s at least 36. Jon Jones is 35… He’s made that walk damn near 20 times, and he goes in the club of 30+. It’s just a hard spot every single time. Is this guy too young? Is this guy ready?”
“If you want the young guy, you got to give the young guy the opportunity. Just simple as that,” he added. “Stop telling me that we need the younger guy if the younger guy can’t get the shot… Sergei is not a young guy, but he’s a lot younger than 35 and 36, so he seems to start to get inserted.”
Sonnen Believes Pavlovich and Blaydes Offer Similar Matchups
Sonnen offered that an encounter with Pavlovich would be identical to one with Blaydes for Jones.
“(Jones vs. Blaydes) doesn’t move the needle any further than Sergei versus Jon; not right on its merits, it doesn’t. Jon vs. Curtis Blaydes or Jon versus Sergei, if you had about five days to tell the story you’re going to find yourself in damn near the exact same spot.”
Sonnen concluded Pavlovich should get the fight with Jones next.
“It’s interesting as it pertains to Sergei. He’s very meaningful, but I’m here to tell you guys that there could be something massive next. It won’t be because of him. He dropped the ball very bad over the weekend. However, I believe that there’s enough conversations going on around the world, like the one that we’re having right now where we’re bringing them up, we’re talking about Sergei, the power.
“We’re talking about skills, and the five guys in a row all had the same fate, and they all had it in the very first round. That’s a very interesting thing. If you tried to juxtapose that matchup from a promotional standpoint, Sergei vs. Jon Jones with Jon Jones versus Curtis Blaydes, you’re having a very alike comparison.
“Jon Jones versus Sergei Pavlovich, that’s the match you make, and you make it next.”
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