UFC 295: Why should you watch Sergei Pavlovich fight besides Pereira vs. Prochazka this weekend?

The Russian powerhouse Sergei Pavlovich seems to have met his match in the British Tom Aspinall. Both rivals will clash in the co-main event of UFC 295, this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, for the interim heavyweight title.

Raised on the harsh streets of Rostov-on-Don, Pavlovich had to show guts from an early age. Although he has practiced several sports, his destiny seemed to be the mixed martial arts arena.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing approximately 260 pounds, Pavlovich is an intimidating opponent for almost anyone. However, at 6-5 and the same weight as his rival, Aspinall will hardly feel scared.

Age will not make a big difference either, as the Russian is 31 years old, while the Briton is 30. What could give Pavlovich an advantage is his reach of 84 inches, six more than Aspinall's 78 inches.

Pavlovich vs. Aspinall will be a clash of natural knockout artists

The Russian boasts a lifetime record of 18 wins and one loss, with 15 knockouts. The Briton accumulates a record of 13-3 with 10 finishes before the final bell. In the UFC, both have a 6-1 record.

Pavlovich's only loss was in his promotional debut when Alistair Overeem knocked him out in the first round. Although the Russian has never wanted to make excuses the other way around, he has stated that it was a failure in his planning, arriving in Beijing, the venue of the bout, just four days before the performance, without time to acclimatize.

Aspinall suffered his only loss in the UFC against Curtis Blade, also in his debut on the circuit. With just 15 seconds elapsed in the first round, the Briton suffered a knee injury while trying to land his first blow of the fight.

After those setbacks, both have put together streaks of six wins, all of them by knockout. Here the advantage may be for Aspinall because, while the Russian is a specialist in standing fighting, the Briton's skills on the canvas make him a serious rival.

A fight that will not reach the fifth round

With a combined figure of 25 knockouts between both contenders, most of them in the first round, there are very few who would bet on a decision victory or, just, a long fight.

In fact, Aspinall is the fighter who finishes his fights the fastest in the UFC. The Briton s for his rivals in an average of 2:19 minutes. Pavlovich is not far behind; he has the third-fastest average with 2:23 minutes to finish his fights.

The Russian's punching power is also not in doubt, as he averages 6.31 knockdowns per 15 minutes of fighting, the best in the UFC. This statistic is not the best for Aspinall, who averages 2.78 knockdowns per 15 minutes, the fifth-best in the promotion.

With these numbers, there is no doubt that the co-main bout for Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira will have the audience on their feet for as long or as little as the fight lasts at Madison Square Garden.