Sergei Pavlovich is all set for the biggest night of UFC career. The Russian juggernaut will take on UK’s Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295 this weekend. And ahead of the fight, we throw it back to when the Russian fighter linked up with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
READ ALSO: UFC 295: Sergei Pavlovich vs Tom Aspinall- Preview, Prediction and Latest Betting Odds
Khabib Nurmagomedov is arguably one of the best fighters to ever grace the octagon. The former UFC champion dominated the lightweight division for years before calling it quits in 2021. And since then, Nurmagomedov has turned his attention towards coaching. However, we know that Pavlovich experienced training under the Russian much before he became a coach.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Sergei Pavlovich’s Shared Training History Resurfaces Before UFC 295
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Sergei Pavlovich link up resurfaces ahead of UFC 295
ESPN MMA shared an old picture of Sergei Pavlovich training post-training with his compatriot Khabib Nurmagomedov. This was back in 2017 when Pavlovich was preparing for his UFC debut and Khabib was one of the best lightweights in the world.
The size difference has baffled a few fans. While we all know that Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the biggest lightweights, Pavlovich made him look small. This was at AKA, where Khabib Nurmagomedov trained. However, Pavlovich has since switched camps to American Top Team in Miami.
The training with Khabib Nurmagomedov may come in handy this weekend against Tom Aspinall. So far in his UFC career, Pavlovich has only had to rely on his incredible striking. However, Aspinall has the better grappling stats and could potentially take the fight to the ground.
Therefore, Pavlovich will have to use everything he learned from Nurmagomedov to ensure that he can dominate Aspinall on the ground. If Pavlovich can prevent this from becoming a grappling match, his chances of winning the fight will increase drastically. However, in the heavyweight division, everyone is a heavy hitter and thus, it will be no surprise if Aspinall can knock out Pavlovich.
What do you make of this link up between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Sergei Pavlovich? Do you think training with Khabib Nurmagomedov will help Pavlovich against Tom Aspinall?