Tai Tuivasa is gearing up for his octagon return after his knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris in September.
Per MMA Junkie, 'Bam Bam' is set to take on rising contender Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of the UFC Orlando card. The event is set to take place inside the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, on December 3.
Pavlovich currently sits at the No.5 position in the rankings, just below Tuivasa, who is placed at No.4. A convincing win for either fighter could instantly catapult the winner into title contention.
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Sergei Pavlovich poses another tough challenge to Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa became the first man to knock down Ciryl Gane in their battle at UFC Paris last month, but he couldn't find the finish. With his loss to the Frenchman, Tuivasa's five-fight win streak came to a halt.
Prior to that, 'Bam Bam' had five consecutive knockout victories to his name, including wins over Derrick Lewis, Augusto Sakai, and Greg Hardy. In his 14 wins, Tuivasa has finished all of his opponents except one.
The Australian will now look to get back to winning ways and climb back towards title contention. However, Tai Tuivasa has a tough challenge ahead of him.
Sergei Pavlovich has looked nothing short of impressive throughout his professional MMA career. 13 of the Russian's 17 professional fights have ended via first-round KO/TKO in his favor, with the sole blemish on his record coming against Alistair Overeem in his UFC debut in 2019.
In his latest trip to the octagon, the 30-year-old knocked Lewis out in just 55 seconds at UFC 277.
The Russian prospect returned to the rankings with his win over Shamil Abdurakhimov in London this past March. He then rose to No.5 with his impressive showing against Lewis in July.
The upcoming matchup will be a huge test for both men, who are among the hardest hitters in the division and are known for finishing their fights. With that said, fans can expect this fight to be nothing short of fireworks.