Sergei Pavlovich calls his shot after TKO win over Curtis Blaydes: “I’ll wait” for winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic

Sergei Pavlovich scored a massive TKO win over Curtis Blaydes and he’s made it clear that he expects a crack at the UFC Heavyweight Championship next.

Pavlovich and Blaydes shared the Octagon in the main event of UFC Vegas 71. The action was held inside the UFC Apex in front of a limited crowd. Pavlovich made sure Blaydes’ night was over early. He scored the TKO finish just over three minutes into the opening frame. The victory earned Pavlovich a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Sergei Pavlovich Wants UFC Title Shot

After the fight, Sergei Pavlovich spoke to reporters backstage and said that regardless of when a title fight between UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic materializes, he plans to be next in line (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“I’ll rest,” Pavlovich said. “I’ll eat, I’ll sleep, I’ll rest some more, I’ll wait.”

Pavlovich admitted that he can’t decide if Jones or Miocic would be the easier fight for him.

“I wouldn’t say that either of them would be an easy fight,” Pavlovich said. “I mean, they’re both hard warriors so I would have to prepare for whoever it is, then be ready for whoever they give me.”

Pavlovich held the number three spot on the official UFC heavyweight rankings before the fight. That spot will likely remain unchanged once the rankings are updated. It is possible that he could move up to the number two position, however. With the win over Blaydes, Pavlovich’s record improves to 18-1 with 15 of those victories coming by way of knockout. The lone defeat of his pro MMA career came at the hands of Alistair Overeem back in 2018. Overeem scored a first-round TKO finish.

As far as how long Pavlovich will have to wait to see how Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic transpires, UFC President Dana White is hopeful that the bout will be announced soon. The UFC boss told reporters that the plan is to have that title fight take place inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.