Big things are happening in the UFC heavyweight division.
A key matchup between top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich has been booked to serve as the main event of a UFC Fight Night on April 22. The location and venue for the card have yet to be announced.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following a report from UFC broadcast partner ESPN on Wednesday.
Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) was last seen in July when he picked up a TKO win after Tom Aspinall suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into the fight. The win improved his streak to three in a row. He had previously defeated Chris Daukaus and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Blaydes is 7-1 in his past eight performances, with his lone loss a knockout defeat to Derrick Lewis in February 2021.
Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has been running through the division in recent years. The Russian fighter has five consecutive first-round stoppage wins. After losing his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem in late 2018, Pavlovich has remained unbeaten in five trips to the octagon since. Most recently, the 30-year-old put away Tai Tuivasa in just 54 seconds at UFC on ESPN 42 in December.
Below is the updated lineup for UFC Fight Night on April 22:
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
- Norma Dumont vs. Karol Rosa
- Ricky Simon vs. Song Yadong
- William Gomis vs. Francis Marshall
- Iasmin Lucindo vs. Melissa Martinez
- Jared Gordon vs. Bobby Green
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Karine Silva
- Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
- Bruno Silva vs. Brad Tavares
- Christos Giagos vs. Ricky Glenn