It took Sergei Pavlovich less than a minute to seal a victory over Tallison Teixeira on the undercard of UFC Macau on Saturday. The native of Orlovsky, Russia, jumped on the attack from the opening round and landed consecutive right hands that sent Teixeira crumbling to the canvas. He then followed up with strikes on the ground to earn a knockout win at 0:39 of the first round.
After the quick outing, Pavlovich (21-3) called for a title shot or a top contender for his next fight. With two-division champion Alex Pereira set to face Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title on June 14, Pavlovich also has his sights set on the winner.
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We consider those options, along with other exciting matchups for Pavlovich’s next fight.
Josh Hokit
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“The Incredible Hok” has made a name for himself as an up-and-coming contender at heavyweight. Josh Hokit made his UFC debut last November and has compiled a 3-0 record, along with two stoppage wins. The undefeated 28-year-old prospect is coming off a unanimous decision win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in April. In a slugfest, Hokit and Blaydes landed a combined total of 354 significant strikes across three rounds, which set a new UFC heavyweight record.
Hokit will take on veteran Derrick Lewis in June. If he emerges with a victory, a clash with Pavlovich is sure to be appealing.
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Cyril Gane
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In his third bid to capture a UFC world title, Gane took on UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall last October. To the disappointment of almost everyone, the championship fight ended in a no-contest after a controversial eye poke from Gane in the first round left Aspinall unable to see or continue.
While a rematch was set to follow, there is no time table on Aspinall’s return after he had surgery on both of his eyes. Gane will instead take on Pereira in an interim title fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June. He will need to come out with his hand raised if he hopes to remain in the title picture. Pavlovich can also make an ideal opponent if Aspinall isn’t cleared yet.
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Alex Pereira
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“Poatan” will make his heavyweight debut when he squares off with Gane at the UFC White House card in June. The Brazilian native previously held the UFC title at middleweight and light heavyweight. Pereira is now on a quest to become the first three-division champion in UFC history. How well he adapts to the new weight class will be answered come fight night. With a win over Gane, Pereira will be one step closer to accomplishing the milestone.
Whether he gets the next crack at Aspinall or takes on a contender such as Pavlovich, Pereira at heavyweight is certainly exciting.
Alexander Volkov
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“Drago” has six wins in his last seven fights. Alexander Volkov hit a setback in a split decision loss to Gane at UFC 310 in December 2024. Volkov got back into title contention with two consecutive wins since then, against Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The fellow Russian native previously faced Pavlovich in June 2024, whom he holds a unanimous decision win over.
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With both climbing up the heavyweight ladder, they can likely cross paths inside the octagon for a second time.
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