Fight Coverage
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs Blaydes
Preview Every Fight On UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs Blaydes As We Prepare For Heavyweight Hitters To Meet At The UFC APEX
Main Event: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
Location: UFC APEX — Las Vegas, Nevada
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Other Main Card Matches:
- Brad Tavares vs. Bruno Silva
- Bobby Green vs. Jared Gordon
- Iasmin Lucindo vs. Brogan Walker
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Matthew Semelsberger
Prelim Matches:
- Ricky Glenn vs. Christos Giagos
- Rani Yahya vs. Montel Jackson
- Karol Rosa vs. Norma Dumont
- Mohammed Usman vs. Junior Tafa
- Francis Marshall vs. William Gomis
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Karine Silva
- Brady Hiestand vs. Batgerel Danaa
Main Event: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
A clash of top contenders in the heavyweight division headlines Saturday’s return to the UFC APEX, as Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes clash in the main event.
Pavlovich showed no signs of rust in returning to action last year after two years on the sidelines. He got back in gear with a first-round stoppage win over Shamil Abdurakhimov in March, and then cranked it up a notch with first-minute finishes of Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa in July and December, respectively.
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Not to be outdone, Blaydes followed up his “get right” win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in September ’21 with a second-round finish of Chris Daukaus in Columbus, and a round one win over Tom Aspinall in July when the British heavyweight suffered a knee injury seconds into their main event tilt in London.
Every UFC Takedown By Curtis Blaydes
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Every UFC Takedown By Curtis Blaydes
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Pavlovich enters on a five-fight winning streak overall, while Blaydes has won three straight and eight of his last nine. They’re positioned next to one another in the rankings, at Nos. 3 and 4, and the winner could conceivably be next in line to challenge for the heavyweight title once Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic cross paths.
Stylistically, this is a fascinating pairing between two big men with legit power, and it will be interesting to see how Blaydes’ wrestling factors into things once they get a feel for one another on Saturday night.
Other Main Card Fights
Brad Tavares vs. Bruno Silva
It’s a main card clash between veteran middleweights when Brad Tavares returns against Bruno Silva.
One of the longest tenured middleweights on the roster, Tavares has been out of action since his loss to Dricus Du Plessis last July and looks to get back to the form that saw him win six of eight prior to that setback. Things started well for the 33-year-old Silva, who posted victories in his first three UFC appearances, but losses to Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert send him into this one on a two-fight slide.
There is a familiar ruler sitting atop the middleweight throne at the moment, but the first matter of business for these two men is to get back into the win column and moving in the right direction again.
Bobby Green vs. Jared Gordon
Bobby Green and Jared Gordon meet in a battle of lightweight division staples aiming to begin their individual 2023 campaigns on a positive note after disappointing ends to last year.
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After defeating Nasrat Haqparast to begin 2022, Green suffered back-to-back stoppages losses to Islam Makhachev (on short notice) and Drew Dober to fall to 10-9-1 inside the Octagon. Gordon split his first two appearances of last year, losing to Grant Dawson and beating Leo Santos before landing on the wrong side of one of the most debated decisions of the year opposite Paddy Pimblett in December.
Each of these men are fixtures in the weight class and the type of well-rounded, experienced fighters that are vital to the life and movement within a given division. This should be an entertaining scrap between two battle-tested veterans on Saturday’s main card.
Iasmin Lucindo vs. Brogan Walker
UFC sophomores with differing levels of experience share the Octagon on Saturday as Brazilian prospect Iasmin Lucindo takes on TUF finalist Brogan Walker.
The 21-year-old Lucindo held her own in a losing effort against Yazmin Jauregui in their shared debuts last summer in San Diego, which snapped her seven-fight winning streak. An eight-year vet who faced established names under the Invicta FC banner, Walker advanced to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter last season, suffering a third-round stoppage loss to Juliana Miller.
While Lucindo has more career appearances, Walker has the edge in terms of the level of competition she’s faced, which makes this an interesting pairing. Will the youngster’s moxie and exuberance rule the day, or can Walker’s savvy and guile carry her to her first UFC victory?
Jeremiah Wells vs. Matthew Semelsberger
Welterweight hitters kick off the main card as Jeremiah Wells and Matthew Semelsberger cross paths in a fight that is bound to contain some explosive exchanges.
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Philadelphia’s Wells has gone three-for-three to start his UFC run, earning stoppage wins over Warlley Alves, Blood Diamond, and Court McGee to move to 11-2-1 overall and extend his winning streak to five. A former collegiate defensive back, Semelsberger earned a pair of rapid finishes over Jason Witt and Martin Sano Jr. in 2021 before going 2-1 in three appearances last year, closing things out with a victory over Jake Matthews.
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Each of these men stroll into the Octagon with dynamite in their hands and a hankering for making things go “BOOM,” so don’t be surprised if this one is tense from the jump and ends with someone looking up at the lights.
Prelim Fights
Ricky Glenn vs. Christos Giagos
Ricky Glenn and Christos Giagos square off in this clash of veteran lightweights looking to get back in the win column to close out Saturday’s preliminary card. Glenn went 1-0-1 in 2021 following a 31-month layoff but has been out again since October of that year. Now in his second tour of duty in the UFC, the 33-year-old Giagos has lost two straight and is 5-6 in 11 trips into the Octagon.
Rani Yahya vs. Montel Jackson
Action shifts back to the bantamweight division for this compelling matchup between veteran Rani Yahya and prospect Montel Jackson. The 38-year-old Yahya is unbeaten in his last three and 5-1-1 over his last seven, but hasn’t fought since defeating Kyung-Ho Kang in November 2021. Jackson returns to Las Vegas having won three straight and six of his last seven since dropping his promotional debut to Simon following a winning effort on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
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Karol Rosa vs. Norma Dumont
Brazilian hopefuls Karol Rosa and Norma Dumont share the Octagon in a featherweight clash on this weekend’s prelims. Rosa moves up for the first time in her 145-pound UFC debut, eager to build off her unanimous decision win over Lina Lansberg last October, while Dumont makes her fifth UFC start in the 145-pound ranks, having gone 3-2 thus far and entering off a win over Danyelle Wolf last time out.
Mohammed Usman vs. Junior Tafa
It’s a meeting between younger siblings of longer tenured UFC talents as Mohammed Usman faces off with Junior Tafa. The 34-year-old Usman won the heavyweight competition last season on The Ultimate Fighter, scoring a second-round knockout win over Zac Pauga to claim the tournament victory. Tafa, whose big brother Justin also fights in the UFC heavyweight division, arrives in the UFC with a 4-0 mark built exclusively on stoppage victories, a form he hopes to maintain through his debut.
Francis Marshall vs. William Gomis
Francis Marshall and William Gomis share the Octagon together on Saturday as they each go in search of a second consecutive UFC victory. The 24-year-old Marshal impressed in his debut last December, building on his DWCS victory with a second-round win over Marcelo Rojo. Gomis got the job done at home in Paris in September, but looked a little careful, so hopefully “Jaguar” is a more settled and confident this time around.
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Karine Silva
It’s an All-Brazilian battle in the flyweight division as Priscila Cachoeira faces off with Karine Silva at the UFC APEX. After an 0-3 start to her UFC run, Cachoeira has gone 4-1 over her last five, earning consecutive wins over Ariane Lipski and Ji Yeon Kim prior to this one. Silva turned in a commanding performance in her first appearance last spring, submitting Poliana Botelho to run her winning streak to six.
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Brady Hiestand vs. Batgerel Danaa
The night’s festivities get underway in the bantamweight division, where Brady Hiestand looks for a second straight win when he takes on Mongolian veteran Batgerel Danaa. A finalist on Season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter, Hiestand showed development and upside in his return to action last November, collecting a unanimous decision win over Fernie Garcia. After winning three straight, all by way of first-round stoppage, following his debut loss, Batgerel touches down in Vegas for this weekend’s opener on a two-fight slide.
UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs Blaydes took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on April 22, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
