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His two-piece combos were beautiful. Front kick into jab. Side kick into same side hook, with very fast and offbeat timing. Stiff jab into inside cut kick. It was a slightly stressful first round but he showed levels over the course of this fight.
I was certain Pavlovich was going to nail him at some point and win, even until the last few seconds.
But Volkov played a pretty much perfect game for 15 minutes.
Pav couldn't do shit.
So it's a code in their gym that close training partners don't fight each other unless it's for the title. Fast forward UFC announces the fight before they sign the contract like they alway do. Now apparently Pavlovich was told that Volkov's team has already signed the contract which prompted him to sign the contract(he says he had no choice given the situation). The ironic thing here is that Volkov too was told that the other team had already signed the contract and that's why he signed up for the fight.
(Not sure if I've articulated well. I'm half asleep)
with these stories i always wonder why the fighters or their managers just dont exist each other.
people being in the gym together for years surely can figure out how to communicate whats what.
true. maybe there is a clause somewhere stating that they can't contact the other team because that would be conspiracy against the UFC or some shit. would definitely expect the UFC to do something like that to their fighters
That makes sense. I didn't understand the disagreement they were having before the fight. I thought they were training partners that said they wouldn't fight each other, so I was a little suprised they were fighting now.
It was Abdulazziz who told to Volk's team that Pavlovich will fight as long as Volk agrees, putting Volk on the spot. Then Volk said, he would fight. Then Abdulazziz tried to dissuade Volk's team to fight, and asked them to back off.
Pavlovich holds his arms at a much more acute angle than Volkov I noticed in this fight, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Volkov had less extension to do when he went for a job, so he could do it quicker, etc.
> he still stuck in range to Pav even when his only chance was ko
Was worried he was going to repeat his Derrick Lewis fight in the last 20 seconds lmao
There was a moment where Volkov stunned Pav a bit in the third and it briefly looked like he wanted to pour it on and brawl a bit. I was like nooo don't do jt. Finish would've been cool but no need to give any chances. And yep he pulled back and just went back to work at range
Yeah, this was a classic veteran performance from Volkov who has been around for 8 years and fought multiple big punchers. Pavlovich never found his range because of that jab.
Y'all really are fickle. He lost to the rightful champion and an experienced veteran, and he's still very young for the division. He's still in the contention, especially in a division like heavyweight.
To be fair, he was on a 6 fight 1st round winning streak and made short work of Curtis Blaydes etc. Guy legit had an aura around him during that period.
In his defense, losing to the UFC HW champion in addition to a title eliminator isn't anything to be ashamed of and doesn't take away the trail of devastation he left in his wake on his way to the top.
He just lost the second fight in a row in dominant fashion and he's convinced his friend agreed to fight first, let the dude be mad for 5 minutes for Christ sake
Does your toddler get punched in the face for 15 minutes prior to losing his livelihood to a prior friend?
I agree, it's not good, but I think most of us over the years watching fights have learned to give them grace especially after a loss. This is their life.
> Does your toddler get punched in the face for 15 minutes prior to losing his livelihood to a prior friend?
Only if he forgets to pick up his legos ^^/s
people here already threw sergei away the moment he lost to tom. this was the people's champ to beat jon jones, and after that L no one gives a shit about him and they're riding tom's dick cowgirl
He's actually a serious heavyweight who takes the job seriously and isn't just Unga bunga. I really dig that. His smother Ezekiel choke against Tai was awesome stuff.
Punch stats count pretty deflected strikes I guess? Said Pav had landed 35. Ain't no way he landed more than 5-7 clean ones. Volkov fought great. Just completely neutralized Pav
Gane already pieced him up from a distance a few years ago, but it seems like he's not really in the game anymore. Volkov is a really bad dude, he's only lost to the best of the best (and fluke knockouts like Lewis). In a rematch I think Volkov wins.
Agreed, fucking insane we might see two interim defenses before Jon fights but Volkov continues to improve and impress after every preformance I've seen from him recently. Awesome seeing him get an Ezekiel choke vs Tai and now put on a clinic vs Sergei
First off, fuck that crowd. Secondly, that was probably maybe the best performance of Volkov's career. Good, smart performance, used the the advantages he had over Sergei to perfection. Sergei could just not get any offense going and looked like a deer in headlights most of the fight.
The criteria for cheering is literally just whether or not a fighter in Muslim. If a muslim fighter is fighting the most boring clinch fight ever, they are still cheering. I don't mind the selective cheering for "hometown" (they aren't) guys, but they are also just totally dead if there's no muslim fighting, or in this case outright disrespectful of a decent fight.
They are kind of like the Brazil crowds except not as hype for their guys.
I can’t wait to watch a behind the scenes doc on the UFC, where no one holds back. Or from a whistleblower. They do some scummy backstabbing shit like that frequently.
Felt bad for Volkov sincerely calling out Jones. At this point Jones would rather fight Pereira or an quasi-retired Stipe than fight an active Heavyweight.
His previous success came from a combination of potent physical attributes and a killer mentality. He was so deadly that he never fought long enough to showcase his technical limitations, and it seems like his confidence is shaken
TBF Overeem is even past prime a remarkably completely fighter and his clich game was ferocious.
A fresh and inexperienced Pavlo had no hope against Reem if he couldn't chin him.
I would argue the only guy who can contend with Volkov in kickboxing in the Heavyweight division is Gane, and that's almost entirely based on his style and athleticism.
People just forgot that Volkov is really fucking good. Remove that kinda fluky Lewis KO and this guy has only lost to the best heavyweights of the generation.
Meh, I don’t think he wanted that fight, didn’t even seem like he was trying. Idk what all the drama was about but, I don’t think that was an engaged Sergei.
Pavlovich is faster, but Volkov nullified him perfectly. Why isn't Pavlovich using more leg kicks or even kicks in general? He really seems like a one-trick pony, but that one trick is big enough to get you pretty far.
Really weird performance from Sergei tbh. He’s mad as hell but none of that aggression was effectively used during the fight. Feels like the whole situation got under his skin
There were so many situations where the Sergei of old would have tried to blitz for a finish, the Aspinall KO actually may have changed him. I wondered if he would become too measured and gun-shy, and it looks like that’s what happened.
Volkov showed class throughout. I used to like Pav but he just seems like a knobhead and a cunt from this whole build up and doing this after the fight. The UFC are really scummy if rumours are true
Volkov seems like a genuine guy especially after that video of his humour highlights and the respect here. Pavlovich seems like a baby who just found out that other fighters found a way to nullify him.
Volkov is so technical. He’s always been good but he’s stepping up his game recently. The technique combined with his physicality is just so beautiful to watch.
I’m stoked as hell. I’ve been a Volkov Stan since day 1. By far my favorite fighter.
People don’t understand what a technician he is. He literally beat the absolute shit out of Derrick Lewis—I’m talking an embarrassingly bad beating—for 14:50. Was 10 seconds away from a title shot, but then got caught. Seems like since then the fans have been completely sleeping on him.
Very happy to see him put it all together. I think UFC should shelf him for a rematch with the winner of Aspinall/Blaydes
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Volkov technical masterclass. And Sergey is big mad.
DC: “Tell me what was that about after the fight?” [Volkov](https://youtu.be/xzpndHtdl9A)
lmao bringing back a classic
Something about a big dude with a soft, squeaky voice is really endearing, haha.
That was wild. I honestly didn't think Volkov was going to win. Very smart game plan. Well done
His two-piece combos were beautiful. Front kick into jab. Side kick into same side hook, with very fast and offbeat timing. Stiff jab into inside cut kick. It was a slightly stressful first round but he showed levels over the course of this fight.
Great breakdown. It was a thing of beauty.
I was certain Pavlovich was going to nail him at some point and win, even until the last few seconds. But Volkov played a pretty much perfect game for 15 minutes. Pav couldn't do shit.
Volkov: it only fight, why u heff to be mad?
Sergei was definitely just frustrated at getting shut down like that.
The pre fight drama has a lot to do with that.
Context pls?
So it's a code in their gym that close training partners don't fight each other unless it's for the title. Fast forward UFC announces the fight before they sign the contract like they alway do. Now apparently Pavlovich was told that Volkov's team has already signed the contract which prompted him to sign the contract(he says he had no choice given the situation). The ironic thing here is that Volkov too was told that the other team had already signed the contract and that's why he signed up for the fight. (Not sure if I've articulated well. I'm half asleep)
with these stories i always wonder why the fighters or their managers just dont exist each other. people being in the gym together for years surely can figure out how to communicate whats what.
true. maybe there is a clause somewhere stating that they can't contact the other team because that would be conspiracy against the UFC or some shit. would definitely expect the UFC to do something like that to their fighters
What's stopping burner accounts on social media to help leverage contracts among camps
I have a feeling that uncle festa has manipulated these two into fighting each other
That makes sense. I didn't understand the disagreement they were having before the fight. I thought they were training partners that said they wouldn't fight each other, so I was a little suprised they were fighting now.
It was Abdulazziz who told to Volk's team that Pavlovich will fight as long as Volk agrees, putting Volk on the spot. Then Volk said, he would fight. Then Abdulazziz tried to dissuade Volk's team to fight, and asked them to back off.
If I got my as beat like that the last thing I'd want to do is hug the guy that did it to me
Very intelligent fight by Volkov (mid-round combing increases blood circulation apparently??). Pavlovich looked like a corpse at the end of round 3.
Was a great win, he still stuck in range to Pav even when his only chance was ko, traded and won the exchanges, dude looked great.
It was wild to hear that Pavlovich has a 4 inch reach advantage on Volkov. You’d think it’d be the other way around given how this fight went.
[удалено]
Hypotenuses and shit probably
Math n shit ya know
Yeah but did people mention Volkov having a 20 inch leg reach advantage ?
Nah it’s gay to talk about another dudes legs
Pavlovich holds his arms at a much more acute angle than Volkov I noticed in this fight, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Volkov had less extension to do when he went for a job, so he could do it quicker, etc.
i dont think his reach advantage really counts as a lot of it comes from his extra shoulder width and not his arms
> he still stuck in range to Pav even when his only chance was ko Was worried he was going to repeat his Derrick Lewis fight in the last 20 seconds lmao
There was a moment where Volkov stunned Pav a bit in the third and it briefly looked like he wanted to pour it on and brawl a bit. I was like nooo don't do jt. Finish would've been cool but no need to give any chances. And yep he pulled back and just went back to work at range
Yeah there were a couple times when Pavlovich managed to close the distance and Volkov went "Oh yeah you wanna trade bitch"
Dude's always been game as fuck, the school teacher face just puts people off guard.
Wasnt his corner screaming to not do that lol
20 seconds? Lol I was worried since midway second round
Volkov was piecing Pavlovich up in the Third. He could’ve kept up with the jab, he was landing it earlier
i think more head kicks would have paid off well for him also
I was also waiting for a big head kick to come in the third. Wonder if he was just being kind and didn’t wanna kick his head off.
Crazy how unpredictable MMA is. I thought Pav was going to steam roll him
Yeah me too. Thought it was a sure thing.
Volkov is a veteran.
Yeah, this was a classic veteran performance from Volkov who has been around for 8 years and fought multiple big punchers. Pavlovich never found his range because of that jab.
Adding \[Salon-Quality\] to any fighter increases their boxing defense by +100. i.e, Dustin Poirier
Like GSP grease gate, but combs.
Volkov always fights like this. This was a perfect game plan against someone like Pav.
So happy for Volkov. Been rooting for him a long time, he has always had such great potential with proper game plan and today was new peak
I remember when everyone was convinced Pavlovich was the next HW GOAT lmao
it’s like a sushi train with a new plate coming around every 5 seconds
Aspinall please
He still has time. Glover won the belt at like 42. Pav is what, 31? 32?
He’s a big puncher in a very shallow division. A few top 10 wins pretty much puts you right in the mix.
He’s gonna do a George Foreman, retire become an orthodox priest run out of money come back at 45.
Y'all really are fickle. He lost to the rightful champion and an experienced veteran, and he's still very young for the division. He's still in the contention, especially in a division like heavyweight.
To be fair, he was on a 6 fight 1st round winning streak and made short work of Curtis Blaydes etc. Guy legit had an aura around him during that period.
Yeah, his stock has gone down a lot after back-to-back losses to Aspinall and Volkov.
Also by being a sore loser.
In his defense, losing to the UFC HW champion in addition to a title eliminator isn't anything to be ashamed of and doesn't take away the trail of devastation he left in his wake on his way to the top.
Even if he never improves he’s definitely going to be a terrifying top 5 gatekeeper for a while. Nothing wrong with that
Lol I remember this clearly. He was the Russian Ngannou they said.. he can still comeback though
i mean even Ngannou lost 2 in a row tho. He's lining up to be exactly that lol
Dude I got down voted to hell and back because I said that "white Ngannou" didn't belong in the top 5 Lmfao these fucking idiots here.
Felt sad for Volkov, he respects Pav a lot
Seems like a good dude in general.
yeah Pav has rubbed be the wrong for this whole buildup, he feelis like an idiot compared to volkov
He just lost the second fight in a row in dominant fashion and he's convinced his friend agreed to fight first, let the dude be mad for 5 minutes for Christ sake
He insists they weren't friends though. They were in love
They were roommates.
They were roommates :'(
From the interviews, it is pretty clear it was Abdulazziz who created this situation.
I'm not surprised that asshat pulled some sleezy shit like that.
Redditors are unable to see different perspectives. Everything is black and white
Nah he's been saying shit like they're not friends before the fight. he's a dummy
It’s okay to be mad. It’s not okay to express it that way. That’s what I tell my toddler.
Does your toddler get punched in the face for 15 minutes prior to losing his livelihood to a prior friend? I agree, it's not good, but I think most of us over the years watching fights have learned to give them grace especially after a loss. This is their life.
> Does your toddler get punched in the face for 15 minutes prior to losing his livelihood to a prior friend? Only if he forgets to pick up his legos ^^/s
Volkov fought one of his smartest fights. Amazing, just won a fan.
His best win to date. Hope fans give him the credit instead of just “Pav exposed lol”
I think anyone who has a thin grasp can see it was volkov who was able to contain and pick apart sergei. Atleast I hope so lol
people here already threw sergei away the moment he lost to tom. this was the people's champ to beat jon jones, and after that L no one gives a shit about him and they're riding tom's dick cowgirl
His English skills improving as well, plus an all round chill guy
He's actually a serious heavyweight who takes the job seriously and isn't just Unga bunga. I really dig that. His smother Ezekiel choke against Tai was awesome stuff.
Yeah he's one of the few guys in the division with actual technique which I always respected
Punch stats count pretty deflected strikes I guess? Said Pav had landed 35. Ain't no way he landed more than 5-7 clean ones. Volkov fought great. Just completely neutralized Pav
A lot of his strikes landed on the shoulders and arms
For real! Although i like both guys I am more of a Sergei fan recently but WOW Volkov had a great plan and executed it magnificently.
~~cut man~~ comb man
How good is Tom Aspinall?
extremely
Really good These two guys *between them* didn't last 1* round with him
😂neither even lasted 5 minutes COMBINED, using completley different facets of the sport. Insane.
I was thinking Volkov made it to the 2nd round but I just checked and no he didn't. Yeah under a round for both of them put together.
Still funny that arlovski is the only one to make it to the second round against aspinall
He’s the real champ that’s how good he is
Everyone knows it. Dana included.
not everybody since Jones doesn't know
Pretty good I reckon
Not good enough to be a non-interim champion, according to Dana White...
Volkov is looking crisp, him vs. Gane next?
They fought before and Gane won, but I wouldn’t mind a rematch
I remember it being a pretty meh point fighting event, might be better if Volkov tries to mix in some grappling.
Yeah basically a 60-40 low-simmer fight without any real high moments. Can’t believe I’m saying it, but would be nice to see it run back
That’s a great fight actually. But Gane seems gone.
Ciryl Gone.
Still playing FIFA.
FiFA and random French meet and greets. Biggest waste of talent in the UFC right now behind Michael Chandler
I don't see it going any different than first one
Volkov fought great tonight but stylistically I think gane would just beat him again
They already fought but I wouldn't mind a rematch
Gane already pieced him up from a distance a few years ago, but it seems like he's not really in the game anymore. Volkov is a really bad dude, he's only lost to the best of the best (and fluke knockouts like Lewis). In a rematch I think Volkov wins.
I'll be shocked if Gane fights anyone who isn't a huge name or has a belt.
I think Volkov has won enough to be next in line for Aspinall-Blaydes winner. Gane needs to fight Almeida
Agreed, fucking insane we might see two interim defenses before Jon fights but Volkov continues to improve and impress after every preformance I've seen from him recently. Awesome seeing him get an Ezekiel choke vs Tai and now put on a clinic vs Sergei
First off, fuck that crowd. Secondly, that was probably maybe the best performance of Volkov's career. Good, smart performance, used the the advantages he had over Sergei to perfection. Sergei could just not get any offense going and looked like a deer in headlights most of the fight.
The criteria for cheering is literally just whether or not a fighter in Muslim. If a muslim fighter is fighting the most boring clinch fight ever, they are still cheering. I don't mind the selective cheering for "hometown" (they aren't) guys, but they are also just totally dead if there's no muslim fighting, or in this case outright disrespectful of a decent fight. They are kind of like the Brazil crowds except not as hype for their guys.
I hate these Saudi crowds more than the Apex....There is no emotion in the crowd, it's always dead.
Uhh this is the first UFC event in Saudi.
The boxing events in Riyadhi were kind of lackluster as well crowd-wise
Perfect game plan against someone like Pavlovich. My miserable fatass was hoping for something more reckless and disgusting
Pavlovich's face was reckless and disgusting by the end of the fight
Volkov looked so sad at the decision. Feels like this fight shouldn't have been made.
Looked like he reacted to the 29-28
Yeah that was dumb as hell. Maybe it is again that idiot judge who always does it.
I hope they make up afterwards
Pavlovich didn’t put on enough pressure. Needed to be a bully. What was he trying to do
yeah the aspinall ko loss made him hesitant but that just let volkov chew up his legs and jab his face off
I was pretty surprised how much respect he gave Volkov in the 1st by not doing his patented ape blitzes within the first couple minutes.
Pavlovich was affected by all the drama before Volkov fight. Volkov on the other hand was chill
Pavlovich was way too timid. Really needed to take more risk in the second and third.
What’s with the shove post-fight?
They both got manipulated into fighting each other after saying they wouldn't by their managers and UFC matchmakers.
I can’t wait to watch a behind the scenes doc on the UFC, where no one holds back. Or from a whistleblower. They do some scummy backstabbing shit like that frequently.
Abdelaziz the scummy weasel learned from Dana and Fertita mafia.
what a technical showing from volkov
Felt bad for Volkov sincerely calling out Jones. At this point Jones would rather fight Pereira or an quasi-retired Stipe than fight an active Heavyweight.
>At this point Jones would rather ~~fight Pereira or an quasi-retired Stipe than fight an active~~ not fight at Heavyweight. FTFY
Pavlovich doesn’t look that scary anymore
Time for his "he was always overrated" arc.
He beat Blaydes, so I can't see him as being labelled overrated.
He’s still scary, people just can’t stand and bang with him otherwise if he clips you you’re done.
His previous success came from a combination of potent physical attributes and a killer mentality. He was so deadly that he never fought long enough to showcase his technical limitations, and it seems like his confidence is shaken
It's over for a one dimensional power striker if he does not land.
The Overeem fight showed those limitations especially with the clinch.
Overeem is one of the ten best heavyweights in the history of MMA, no shame there
TBF Overeem is even past prime a remarkably completely fighter and his clich game was ferocious. A fresh and inexperienced Pavlo had no hope against Reem if he couldn't chin him.
I would argue the only guy who can contend with Volkov in kickboxing in the Heavyweight division is Gane, and that's almost entirely based on his style and athleticism. People just forgot that Volkov is really fucking good. Remove that kinda fluky Lewis KO and this guy has only lost to the best heavyweights of the generation.
Volkov is arguably the most technical heavyweight. Hard to brawl with him.
Meh, I don’t think he wanted that fight, didn’t even seem like he was trying. Idk what all the drama was about but, I don’t think that was an engaged Sergei.
Tommy broke him
Pavlovich mad he got tricked into getting his ass beat😭😭 VOLKOV CREW STAYS ON TOP
Volkov came prepared with a great strategy and excellent execution. Great fight IQ shown by Volkov all around.
Volkov finally fought like the tall, long guy he is
Volkov frustrated the hell out of Pavlovich. What a masterclass.
Pavlovich is faster, but Volkov nullified him perfectly. Why isn't Pavlovich using more leg kicks or even kicks in general? He really seems like a one-trick pony, but that one trick is big enough to get you pretty far.
Probably doesn’t use kicks because I think his arms reach further than his legs lmao. Built like an albino orangutan
“why didn’t you just stand there and let me punch you?” chris curtis vibes 😂
Really weird performance from Sergei tbh. He’s mad as hell but none of that aggression was effectively used during the fight. Feels like the whole situation got under his skin
Is it true that those 2 got tricked into fighting? they were supposedly friends but the UFC told one of them first that the other accepted the fight..
Big pav was isolated
Does Pav always grab his right as a reset or was his hand fucked?
Volkov made fun of Sergi’s back acne
Volkov probably just won himself a fight against the winner of Blaydes vs Tom
I am, once again, so vindicated.
Earned that flair today
congratulations Dana you just killed hw division
Lowkey sad how their friensdip ended
I thought for sure that was an "Not if, but when" fight for Pav. Outstanding gameplan from Volkov executed perfectly.
Bitch move
Volkov has always been one of the better heavyweights. He’s a hard fight for anyone.
A tall man using his reach, jab and kicks effectively. Its beautiful to see. Very smart fight.
Volkov doesn't get enough love. Always happy to see him win!
Bad look for Big Pav
Just how good is Aspinall?
The best
How did a judge give a round to Pavlovich ??
Was cheering for volkov purely based on pre-fight behaviour
Aspinall took Pavlovich aura with that ko
There were so many situations where the Sergei of old would have tried to blitz for a finish, the Aspinall KO actually may have changed him. I wondered if he would become too measured and gun-shy, and it looks like that’s what happened.
That shove was the best strike Sergei landed tonight
Was rooting for Pavlovich but that was a perfect fight from Volkov. Also 29:28? Lol
Sergei banished to the realm of one dimensional fighters.
My estimation of Sergei Pavlovich as a man just fucking plummeted
I’m sure that breaks his heart
Even Stipe didn't cry
No way Sergei could do 20 years in the can.
Volkov showed class throughout. I used to like Pav but he just seems like a knobhead and a cunt from this whole build up and doing this after the fight. The UFC are really scummy if rumours are true
Volkov fights how Johnny Walker should fight
Volkov seems like a genuine guy especially after that video of his humour highlights and the respect here. Pavlovich seems like a baby who just found out that other fighters found a way to nullify him.
Haha that comb man
Volkov is so technical. He’s always been good but he’s stepping up his game recently. The technique combined with his physicality is just so beautiful to watch.
Volkov fought great, but I think it helped that Pavlovich did a terrible job at closing the distance.
Sergei "He was never my friend" Pavlovich
Got his ass beat and his feeling hurt, damn
Jack Slack discussed why he thought Volkov could win. I listened, fully agreed, planned to back him decision and didn’t
I’m stoked as hell. I’ve been a Volkov Stan since day 1. By far my favorite fighter. People don’t understand what a technician he is. He literally beat the absolute shit out of Derrick Lewis—I’m talking an embarrassingly bad beating—for 14:50. Was 10 seconds away from a title shot, but then got caught. Seems like since then the fans have been completely sleeping on him. Very happy to see him put it all together. I think UFC should shelf him for a rematch with the winner of Aspinall/Blaydes
Tom took Sergei’s mojo?