DALLAS – Sergei Pavlovich knows he has to be on his toes against Derrick Lewis.
Pavlovich (15-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) faces former heavyweight title challenger Lewis on Saturday’s UFC 277 main card, which takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Since dropping his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem, Pavlovich has been on a roll, finishing his past three opponents. Lewis marks a big step up for the Russian fighter, and he’s ready to enter the upper echelon with a win.
“He’s a great fighter. He’s a dangerous fighter” Pavlovich told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s media day through an interpreter. “In my career there’s been a lot of great, dangerous fighters. Like I’ve said, I’ve done the work, I’m 100 percent ready, and the fight will show.”
But he’ll have to get past the UFC’s all-time leader in knockout wins, and after watching Lewis (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) come from behind in various fights, he knows what he has to be wary of.
“I think it’s the most unpredictable fight because at any moment something could happen,” Pavlovich said.
He continued, “He’s quite a tricky fighter actually. He thinks a lot, so we looked through all of his fights, and we really digested them to figure out what else we have to prepare for besides just the knockout.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 277.
Sergei Pavlovich sees UFC 277 fight with Derrick Lewis as ‘the most unpredictable’
