Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes Prediction: Can Pavlovich Dominate in This UFC Fight Night Main Event?
Super Fan looks to extend his betting streak in another humorous breakdown for this week's heavyweight clash between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes. Check out his UFC Fight Night main event prediction.
Super Fan
| 5 min
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes Prediction: Can Pavlovich Dominate in This UFC Fight Night Main Event?
Curtis Blaydes taking on Sergei Pavlovich is awesome - two true titans of the sport colliding in their primes. This is a much-needed breath of fresh air in a division that mostly showcases fights uglier than Jon Jones' driving record. The community seems completely split on this fight, and it is easy to see why.
Pavlovich vs. Blaydes Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023
- Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN+
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes Prediction
Sergei looks and fights like he was invented in a laboratory. He is coming off of knockout wins against Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis, which he did in less than two minutes combined. In fact, he has not had a fight go past the first round since 2017. While this is a truly incredible statistic, it could end up being his demise.
Curtis Blaydes has proven several times that he is capable of dragging a fight out to win a decision. While it was not pretty, he even fought the full 25 minutes against Alexander Volkov to pick up a win. When looking at Blaydes' resume, it is clear that he has a much more diverse arsenal. He has arguably the nastiest ground and pound in the UFC, along with the composure to outscore his opponents over the course of the bout if need be.
Stylistically, the path to victory for either fighter is obvious. Pavlovich has one loss in his career. That loss came from brutal ground and pound against Alistair Overeem in 2018. And that was against a fighter with a kickboxing background. If post-USADA Overeem was able to do that, then it is very concerning to imagine how much success a wrestler of Blaydes' pedigree could have.
On the other side of the coin, all three of Blaydes' losses have been against knockout artists. Sergei has 14 first-round KOs, seven of which came in less than 90 seconds. Finishing that quickly is embarrassing for most men, but it is a wildly impressive thing to do in the octagon. If you are in Blaydes' corner, this is sure to be a cause for concern stylistically.
From where I am sitting, this fight is a coin flip. If this fight was at even odds, I would not recommend a bet, but Sergei Pavlovich at +140 is way too attractive for me to pass up. Blaydes has a tendency to get hit when the fight stays on the feet for too long, and that is too dangerous of a risk to take against a Russian cyborg like Pavlovich.
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes Pick
Official Bet: 1 Unit on Sergei Pavlovich ML (+140) Bet $100 to collect $240 BetMGM has the best odds; click here to bet
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