Pro fighters make their picks for Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes

By Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023

In the main event of UFC Vegas 71, a battle of top-five heavyweights goes down as Sergei Pavlovich takes on Curtis Blaydes. Heading into the scrap, Pavlovich is a +134 underdog while the American is a -172 favorite on FanDuel.

Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes, UFC Vegas 71

Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Blaydes will use his wrestling – similar to what Alistair Overeem did – to beat up Pavlovich and get a ground-and-pound TKO.

BJPENN.com Fighter Picks Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes:

Rob Font, UFC bantamweight: I’m going with Blaydes to outwrestle Pavlovich and pull it off.

Brandon Royval, UFC flyweight: Blaydes just outwrestles Pavlovich, and I think he can get a stoppage, too.

Davey Grant, UFC bantamweight: It’s an interesting one. Pavlovich has been looking well but we don’t really know what his cardio is like or his takedown defense I think he can clip Blaydes.

Billy Quarantillo, UFC featherweight: This is a tough one. I am going to go with Blaydes. If he can avoid that first minute or two and get him to the floor I think he can get it done.

Adrian Yanez, UFC bantamweight: Curtis Blaydes. I think he wrestles Pavlovich as Overeem did.

Mario Bautista, UFC bantamweight: I’m going with Pavlovich, he has been running through people and I think he lands early.

Zak Cummings, UFC light heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich by KO. Blaydes has the wrestling but I think Sergei catches him.

Steven Peterson, UFC featherweight: Pavlovich, I think he KO’s Blaydes, he just has so much power.

Julian Erosa, UFC featherweight: The bigger you get the less technical you can be which is why Pavlovich has found success. But, Blaydes is so good at wrestling and I think he can avoid those power shots early and take him down and get a late TKO win.

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Fighters picking Sergei Pavlovich: Davey Grant, Mario Bautista, Zak Cummings, Steven Peterson

Fighters picking Curtis Blaydes: Rob Font, Brandon Royval, Billy Quarantillo, Adrian Yanez, Julian Erosa

Who do you think wins the UFC Vegas 71 main event between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes?


Topics:

Curtis Blaydes Exclusive MMA Interviews Sergey Pavlovich UFC UFC Vegas 71