Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes to headline UFC Fight Night on April 22
Big things are happening in the UFC heavyweight division.
A key matchup between top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich has been booked to serve as the main event of a UFC Fight Night on April 22. The location and venue for the card have yet to be announced.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following a report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN on Wednesday.
Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) was last seen in July when he picked up a TKO win after Tom Aspinall suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into the fight. The win improved his streak to three in a row. He had previously defeated Chris Daukaus and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Blaydes is 7-1 in his past eight performances, with his lone loss a knockout defeat to Derrick Lewis in February 2021.
Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has been running through the division in recent years. The Russian fighter has five consecutive first-round stoppage wins. After losing his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem in late 2018, Pavlovich has remained unbeaten in five trips to the octagon since. Most recently, the 30-year-old put away Tai Tuivasa in just 54 seconds at UFC on ESPN 42 in December.
Below is the updated lineup for UFC Fight Night on April 22:
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
Norma Dumont vs. Karol Rosa
Ricky Simon vs. Song Yadong
William Gomis vs. Francis Marshall
Iasmin Lucindo vs. Melissa Martinez
Jared Gordon vs. Bobby Green
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Karine Silva
Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
Bruno Silva vs. Brad Tavares
Christos Giagos vs. Ricky Glenn
More!
Video: UFC Fight Night 220 media day live stream, interviews
Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento heavyweight bout in the works for UFC Fight Night on May 20
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Anthony Hernandez booked for UFC event on May 20