UFC heavyweight Volkov assessed the level of Sergei Pavlovich’s fight before the fight with Aspinel

Number six in the heavyweight rankings Alexander Volkov in an interview with , he spoke about the fighting level of his former sparring partner, contender for the interim UFC heavyweight belt, Sergei Pavlovich .

Volkov and Pavlovich trained together in 2020-21 in Moscow. Pavlovich is currently ranked second in the UFC heavyweight rankings and is on a six-fight first-round win streak. On November 12 in New York at the UFC 295 tournament, Pavlovich will challenge for the interim heavyweight belt in a fight with Briton Tom Aspinel.

— What to expect on the ground if Sergei’s base is Greco-Roman wrestling and Aspinel has a black belt in jiu-jitsu? Will Aspinel be able to transfer Pavlovich?

— In the later rounds I think he can, but this fight still has to reach the later rounds. Firstly, Sergei is physically strong and his strength will play into his hands. On the ground, Sergey works well from above. Can hold well, hit, control well. In general, strength is very forgiving. Sergey has a good base in standing wrestling, but he has been training on the ground for a long time.

—When the battle begins, what will you want to pay attention to?

“It will be interesting to see how they start to take up space in the Octagon. Some of them will put pressure, others, on the contrary, will try to play the role of number two. The most interesting thing is who exactly will take the initiative, who will have it from the start. Because the transience of the fight will depend on it. I think in any case it will be interesting: Sergei can strike at any time, Aspinel will stay fresh for a long time,” Volkov told .

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