The UFC on ABC 6 tournament attracts the attention of Russian fans with a whole scattering of fighters from our country, including one who will enter the octagon against his compatriot Sergei Pavlovich. His opponent will be Alexander Volkov. The former contender for the interim heavyweight title has repeatedly had successful fights against Russians, and for some, the fight with Pavlovich ended their careers.

“I’m ready for anything”

In 2016, Sergey Pavlovich was one of the main prospects of the Russian promotion Fight Night Global. It took the Russian giant less than two years to playfully deal with eight opponents. The management of the organization offered Sergey to hold his next fight with his undefeated compatriot Akhmadsheikh Gelegaev (5-0).

The Dagestani athlete, in addition to his impeccable track record, had extensive experience in confronting top heavyweights such as Nikita Krylov and Konstantin Erokhin, who competed in the UFC. Gelegaev also trained under the guidance of legendary coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

The tournament was planned to be held in Kaspiysk, where Gelegaev would have been provided with incredible support from his fellow countrymen. But Sergey was not afraid to perform on the opponent’s territory, especially since it was not the first time for him. He had previously fought there with Sultan Murtazaliev.

“The atmosphere was great, amazing. In Dagestan, they really love mixed martial arts, they understand it well, and it is very difficult for visiting fighters to win there. Therefore, any athlete who comes to Dagestan dreams of winning there,” the official website of Fight Nights Global quotes Pavlovich as saying.

— I never worry about the difficulty of the opponent, I just go out and do what I can, with the goal of showing a good fight — what my coaches usually advise me to do. My fellow countrymen will support me, I am sure. Although Pavlovich is a very serious opponent, I do not deny it. It will not be easy, that is for sure. We will show a spectacular fight. I am ready for everything. I have no plan — as the fight progresses, we will see what to do, — Gelegaev said in an interview with Chernovik.

Akhmadsheikh Gelegaev and Sergey Pavlovich / Photo: © Union of Mixed Martial Arts of Russia

Harsh destruction

Gelegaev was returning to mixed martial arts after a year-long break. According to the Dagestani athlete, he kept in shape at local tournaments, and during training, Akhmadsheikh even sparred with Khabib.

But neither the support of the stands nor the experienced team helped Gelegaev, which was already evident in the first round. Akhmadsheikh tried to immediately take Sergey by storm using his wrestling skills, but the future UFC fighter skillfully neutralized these attempts to transfer the fight to the ground.

The Dagestani fighter’s overconfident passes did not go unpunished. Pavlovich met his attempts with hard blows time after time. By the second minute, a hematoma had formed under Gelegaev’s left eye.

By the end of the third minute, Pavlovich landed a powerful uppercut to the injured area of ​​the head. Akhmadsheikh was even turned 180 degrees. It took Sergey only 30 seconds to finish the fight. Several heavy punches and knees caused the hematoma on the Dagestani’s face to grow to terrifying proportions. Realizing that the athlete was risking his health, the referee had to stop the fight: Pavlovich won by technical knockout.

In two fights, Sergey will become the Fights Nights Global champion, after which he will defend his title and sign a contract with the UFC. But Gelegaev’s professional career ended there. There are no more officially registered fights in Akhmadsheikh’s track record.

The UFC tournament in Riyadh with the participation of Pavlovich and Volkov will take place on June 22. Thematic TV channel “Match! Fighter” will broadcast the fights from 19:00 (Moscow time), the broadcast on the federal channel “Match TV” will begin at 22:00 (Moscow time). The broadcast will also be available on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.