On the day of the announcement of the UFC Heavyweight Championship between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, President Dana White talked about the plan to bring backup boxers to the event. White initially did not make it clear about this person's identity, but during the weight test, the backup box was identified as Sergei Pavlovich.
At the age of 30, Sergei Pavlovich is ranked 3rd on the Heavyweight weight rankings. He was a Fight Nights Global champion before signing a contract with UFC. Pavlovich's professional MMA competition is 18 matches, including 17 wins (14 no) and 1 defeat.
The only defeat in Pavlovich's career came for the first time he played at UFC. Since then, Russian boxers have experienced 5 consecutive victories. In the last 2 times, he defeated two UFC monuments, Tuvasa and Derrick Lewis. That gives Pavlovich a very high position at the moment.
During the weight test, besides Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich also participated. He was eligible to play when he reached 118kg. In the case of Jones or Gane suddenly unable to play, Pavlovich will be promoted, becoming a boxer playing the championship match.
In the opposite direction, if the match between Jones and Gane is still normal, Sergei Pavlovich has to wait nearly 2 months to play. He will encounter Curtis Blaydes, boxer who is ranked 4 UFC. The boxer who won this pair will occupy No. 2 from Stipe Miocic, who has not played for the past 2 years.