Sergei Pavlovich issues statement after losing hard-fought decision against Alexander Volkov: "This was very emotional and tough for me"

Sergei Pavlovich has opened up after his loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC Saudi Arabia.

'Drago' stifled his former training partner's movements by being technical on the feet. The heavyweight brawler could not close in and land his hooks as he was kept on the outside by an authoritative jab for the entirety of the fight by his fellow countryman. Volkov emerged victorious by way of unanimous decision after 15 minutes of action.

Pavlovich took to social media to share his thoughts after the defeat, writing:

"It wasn't my day, nothing went according to plan. I was ready for anything, but I was too focused on getting a knockout and took too many unnecessary hits. The result was a loss by points. This was very emotional and tough for me, especially knowing that I didn't meet your expectations. Thank you all for your support! I promise to come back stronger and wiser."

Saturday's result marked Pavlovich's second consecutive loss. He was previously knocked out in one round by Tom Aspinall in their interim title fight last November.

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There's a whiff of bad blood between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov

Sergei Pavlovich didn't seem to be wanting to let go of the hostility even after the horn, as the Russian shoved his fellow countryman away as he was approaching in a friendly manner.

The two had been exchanging words at the faceoff the day before the fight. The two heavyweights were once training partners who sparred together at Arrow gym. Volkov reportedly sought the help of his compatriot in preparation for the Derrick Lewis fight. The two were on good terms until the fight was finalized by the UFC in an allegedly deceptive manner.

After such an impressively dominating performance by 'Drago', who's riding a four-fight win streak, it will be curious to see how far this takes the tall heavyweight veteran up the ladder.

Meanwhile, Pavlovich is on a two-fight losing skid. Further defeats could mean the Russian's hype fully fades away and relegates him to being an action-packed attraction at heavyweight rather than a threatening candidate for the belt, as he was once perceived to be.