Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Rodriguez meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ABC 6 from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Pavlovich (18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) returns to the cage for the first time since being finished just 69 seconds into his interim heavyweight title fight with To Aspinall last November at UFC 295. Prior to that, Pavlovich had been on a tear with six consecutive wins by knockout/TKO. … Riding a three-fight winning streak, Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) could secure a title shot as he’s finished Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexndr Romanov and Tai Tuivasa in that span.
The co-main event in Saudi Arabia features a heavyweight showdown between Russian powerhouses, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov.
Between their towering statures and the fact that these two used to be fast friends, this fight has a Kane vs. Undertaker-like setup that feels like it’s straight out of WWE’s “Attitude Era.”
In MMA, however, dramatic meetings between former training partners tend to unfortunately result in lackluster affairs. For that reason, no one should be shocked if we get stuck with a tentative staring contest this Saturday.
Although Pavlovich is more than powerful enough to end anyone’s night early, Volkov has traditionally done well opposite big punchers who aren’t named Derrick Lewis.
Add in the fact that most of Volkov’s troublesome moments come from his opponent’s countering kicks (something that seems vacant from Pavlovich’s game), and I can’t help but take a flier on the underdog in this spot.
The pick is Volkov by decision.
The oddsmakers and the public are slightly favoring the former title challenger, listing Pavlovich (-245) and Volkov (+186) via FanDuel.
As the co-main event, Pavlovich and Volkov are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 4:45 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ABC and streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.
