UFC London continues to bring an awesome night of fights. The heavyweight showdown scheduled for the preliminary card also did not disappoint. Sergei Pavlovich knocked out Shamil Abdurakhimov in the very first round of the fight.
During the last minute of an uneventful first round, Pavlovich was able to turn the fight around by landing a well-placed right hand straight to Abdurakhimov’s chin.
Following that Pavlovich ended the fight by landing several consecutive punches on Abdurakhimov, who couldn’t do anything but try to defend himself. There were some speculations that Abdurakhimov was receiving illegal shots however instant replay debunked those claims.
1️⃣2️⃣ first-round finishes!
💢 Sergei Pavlovich is starting to make some noise at HW! #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/nXFX8hiPDf
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 19, 2022
Just as the fight ended, Abdurakhimov got up and complained that Pavlovich was hitting him in the back of the head during the end sequence of the fight.
Heavy hands INDEED 😤
Welcome back Sergei Pavlovich!
[ #UFCLondon | Prelims are LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/07oFWCXgVr
— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2022
SERGEI PAVLOVICH!
Things can change in an instant at heavyweight! 👊💥 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/HU2FdLCdKg
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 19, 2022
Shots to the back of the head being illegal = MMA's most theoretical rule. #UFCLondon
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) March 19, 2022
After defeating Abdurakhimov (ranked number 10) in the UFC Heavyweight rankings, Pavlovich expects to become ranked UFC fighter.
Pavlovich is on a three-fight winning streak and is 3-1 in his UFC fighter. His MMA record stands out – he now has 12 first-round knockouts in his career.
SERGEI PAVLOVICH!
Things can change in an instant at heavyweight! 👊💥 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/HU2FdLCdKg
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 19, 2022