Tag: UFC 295

Sergei Pavlovich on UFC 295 fight vs. Tom Aspinall: ‘For me, this is the legit title’

Sergei Pavlovich enters UFC 295 prepared to be champion, by his own estimation.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] enters UFC 295 prepared to be champion, by his own estimation.

While Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) fights Saturday at Madison Square Garden for an interim championship, the moment feels undisputed for the hulking Russian fighter.

“For me, this is the legit title,” Pavlovich told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at a news conference Wednesday.

Pavlovich was originally slated to be a backup fighter for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. When that fight fell through, he was booked vs. Tom Aspinall 13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

“I was training,” Pavlovich said, of when he got the call. “This was my second practice in the day. After my second practice, I went out to the park just to take a stroll. My manager Ali (Abdelaziz) called me and said, ‘I have great news. Here it is.’ I didn’t think much. I just said yes.”

[lawrence-related id=2694041,2694075]

Currently on a six-fight winning streak, Pavlovich ran through the likes of Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Curtis Blaydes in his most recent three fights. Although Aspinall self-describes as a different sort of matchup, Pavlovich isn’t fazed.

“If you look, or Tom looks at my past opponents, they’re all tough, durable, strong guys,” Pavlovich said. “So, I think now Tom is the next step in front of me. He’s the next step that I have to take to get further. If you look at me, if you look at what I do, we train hard to make sure we achieve that next goal.”

Should he win by knockout at UFC 295, Pavlovich will tie Chuck Liddell’s record of seven consecutive fights won by knockout. The accomplishment would just serve as more reassurance that Pavlovich is making the right moves.

“When it comes to the fight itself, there’s going to be two big dudes, strong dudes, fighting each other,” Pavlovich said. “We don’t know what is going to happen but it’s going to be a good fight. Then the fact that I’m tying a legend possibly on Saturday, that means I’m achieving some other goals, some other goals that I set for myself, putting myself in the ranks of the greatest.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Jiri Prochazka returns laser focused for ‘warrior against the warrior’ UFC 295 title fight vs. Alex Pereira

Jiri Prochazka is of sound mind, body and soul as he nears his return to the octagon from the longest layoff of his career at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] is of sound mind, body and soul as he nears his return to the octagon from the longest layoff of his career.

After suffering a serious shoulder injury in October 2022 that required surgery and forced him to vacate the light heavyweight title, Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) took a long and difficult road to get back to 100 percent. He’s finally here, however, and will get the chance to regain the belt he never lost when he takes on Alex Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 295 pay-per-view main event at Madison Square Garden. Prelims air on ESPNews and stream on ESPN+.

Prochazka is soaking it all in now that he’s back on a big fight-week stage, and he has no doubt this is where he belongs.

“For me this week, laser focus – it’s about laser focus for the performance on the event night,” Prochazka told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 295 media day. “It’s not just about me; it’s just about my opponent, too. Which performance and how good the performance of my opponent will be, that will be mine. Every time I adjust, and I am better every time than my opponents, trying to be in every moment. I like to have a good opponent because my opponent’s performance pushes my performance.”

[lawrence-related id=2694113,2693899,2693826]

When Prochazka sustained his injury, Pereira wasn’t part of the 205-pound division as he was busy fighting for titles at middleweight. Once he moved up a division and beat Jan Blachowicz in August, however, he became a clear candidate to fight for the title Jamahal Hill was forced to vacate due to an injury of his own.

Prochazka and Pereira are two unique characters, and now they will clash inside the cage.

“I see it warrior against the warrior,” Prochazka said. “I don’t want to speak about my samurai character or something like that, but it’s truth. I was inspired my years by Bushido and this type of focus for a fight and everything what you’re doing with your life, do it with all you focus, give all your heart to your performance. That’s why we are warriors, because we go there and there is nothing like it.”

The past 13 months have been a difficult experience for Prochazka, but he thinks it’s forced him to evolve both physically and mentally. Now Prochazka thinks he’s at his best form, and he hopes for that to reflect with his effort on fight night.

“If I can say it now, I think that Pereira’s style in standup is much sharper than Jamahal Hill’s style,” Prochazka said. “I just respect that everything has to go on. I realized that I’m not afraid, that when I put the belt out to other guys, that I will not win that again after my recovery. That’s my belief, that I will take the belt again, and that’s it.

“The belt from last year I have on my room. I still see myself like a champion. But I need to remind to all the people that I really am, because I need to keep it in the present.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Alex Pereira admits Jiri Prochazka’s style difficult to understand, but that’s where Glover Teixeira comes in

Like the rest of us, Alex Pereira scratches his head at some of the things Jiri Prochazka does – but Glover Teixeira has been there to assist.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] has tried to figure out [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]. It’s certainly not easy, or perhaps even possible.

In preparation for the large Czech light heavyweight at UFC 295, Pereira (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) became well acquainted with the weird and wild nature of Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

“He’s definitely a hard opponent,” Pereira told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter on Wednesday at UFC 295 media day. “Unpredictable, yes, but all the experience I have in fighting and kickboxing, I’m going to be using that in the fight.”

A Glory Kickboxing Hall of Famer, Pereira will lean not only on his own experience, but that of his coach and mentor, Glover Teixeira, too. Teixeira lost to Prochazka in the fifth round of an all-time war at UFC 275 in June 2022.

“It was definitely a hard fight,” Pereira said. “Glover was winning that fight to the moment he got submitted. Glover had all this experience, and it’s very important for me. I’m not going to think this fight is going to be easy because Glover already fought him, but with Glover and the experience he has, he’s already helped me. Regardless whether for this fight or for the previous fight, he plays a big part of it.

Fight fans have taken a liking to Pereira and Prochazka not only for their violent fighting styles but their unique personalities. Despite the public disappointment of a Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic cancellation, Pereira thinks the anticipation of his title fight Saturday at Madison Square Garden is still palpable.

“I know everybody is pumped for the fight. I think regardless if the main event got pulled off or not,” Pereira said. “I think if the fans had the option to get a refund, I don’t think they did because everybody wants to watch this fight.”

[lawrence-related id=2694113,2694019,2693820,2693657]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC 295 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: At home with Alex Pereira, at MSG with Jiri Prochazka

Alex Pereira shops, cleans and packs, while Jiri Prochazka takes in a Knicks game in the third installment of UFC 295 “Embedded.”

The UFC is back for its regular fall trip to “The Big Apple,” and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 295 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, former light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and ex-middleweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) meet for the vacant 205-pound title. Pereira will attempt to become the UFC’s newest two-division titleholder.

In the co-feature, the interim heavyweight title is on the line between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who are fighting for that belt after champ Jon Jones suffered an injury training for his fight with Stipe Miocic, which was the card’s original headliner.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Alex Pereira shops, cleans and packs. Sergei Pavlovich impresses his teammates. Jiri Prochazka takes in a Knicks game. Tom Aspinall chats with Michael Bisping inside Madison Square Garden.

Also see:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Mackenzie Dern expects desperate Jessica Andrade to be most dangerous at UFC 295: ‘She wants to kill me’

There’s no question in Mackenzie Dern’s mind that she’ll have her hands full against a skidding Jessica Andrade at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] thinks she’ll get the most dangerous version of Jessica Andrade possible at UFC 295.

Former strawweight champion Andrade (24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) enters the event on a three-fight losing skid and with her back against the wall when she faces Dern (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in Saturday’s strawweight bout at Madison Square Garden, which is part of the pay-per-view main card.

Although Andrade has been fighting the best competition available across multiple divisions, the results haven’t been going her way. In Dern’s mind, that leaves her both vulnerable and extremely dangerous.

“She’s still there. She’s still got this,” Dern told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 295 media day. “I think she’s going to come with strategy. In the three fights, she was submitted twice and knocked out once. I think she’s going to have a little more of a game plan. I think she’ll still come for war. I think she wants to take my head off. She wants to kill me in this fight.”

[lawrence-related id=2693899,2693616]

Dern, 30, hopes UFC 295 marks the beginning of consistency for her. She’s alternated wins and losses over her past five fights, but is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Angela Hill in May’s UFC Fight Night 223 headliner.

The jiu-jitsu specialist thinks Andrade is a good target to get back on a winning streak, and although she said she “needs to be strategic,” she knows she must be weary of Andrade’s power once they step inside the octagon.

“I’d asked for Rose (Namajunas), but then Rose had gone up a weight,” Dern said. “I think it’s an even better matchup for me with Jessica. She’s had a full training camp. She’s coming off three straight losses. … No one wants to lose four times. I’m just hoping five fights in a year takes a toll on her a little bit.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Despite ‘worst circumstances possible,’ Tom Aspinall certain he’ll leave UFC 295 as interim champ

Tom Aspinall admits “two weeks isn’t long enough to prepare for a fight,” but he still feels good about beating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] admits “two weeks isn’t long enough to prepare for a fight,” but he thinks he can still get the job done and beat Sergei Pavlovich for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295.

After an injury to champion Jon Jones scratched Saturday’s original headliner against Stipe Miocic, the UFC shifted gears and booked Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim belt at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Although the situation isn’t ideal with less than three weeks’ notice, Aspinall thinks he can overcome any challenges and emerge with his hand raised.

“I’m fighting the scariest guy in MMA in my opinion, in the worst circumstances possible without a training camp,” Aspinall told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 295 media day. “I obviously think I can win. I’m not the kind of guy who shows up for money. I ain’t signing a contract and showing up if I don’t think I can win. I truly, truly believe that I’m going to win on Saturday night. I’m an absolute winner, and I’m going to find a way to win regardless of the circumstances.”

Aspinall, 30, admits he hasn’t necessarily had the time to craft and hone in the perfect game plan, but he thinks he knows what he’s dealing with in Pavlovich, who has won his past six fights by first-round knockout.

[lawrence-related id=2694011,2693638,2692156]

In order to give himself the best shot, Aspinall thinks he needs to relish everything and churn it into something positive.

“I think it’s heavyweight MMA,” Aspinall said. “You’ve got to see what happens. He’s a very, very dangerous guy. As am I. I’m just focused on going out there and enjoying it. The is my absolute dream come true: Madison Square Garden, Pavlovich.”

In a normal world, the winner of Aspinall vs. Pavlovich would be set up for a fight with Jones next. However, UFC CEO Dana White said that will not be the case, and the promotion instead plans to reschedule the fight with Jones and Miocic once the champ is healthy.

Some have argued that the UFC should’ve stripped Jones and made Aspinall vs. Pavlovich for the undisputed title. Aspinall said he’s not overthinking all the finer details of this whole thing, but he

“I’m fine with the interim. I’m not too bothered,” Aspinall said. “It’ll work itself out, I’m sure. Jon Jones is obviously one of the best to ever do. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and hopefully we’ll get to share the cage one day.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Daniel Cormier: Jiri Prochazka’s ‘ring rust is going to play a factor’ in UFC 295 fight vs. Alex Pereira

Daniel Cormier explains why Jiri Prochazka’s long layoff will harm his performance at UFC 295.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] believes [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]’s long layoff will harm him at UFC 295.

Prochazka (29-3-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) returns to fight [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant light heavyweight title in Saturday’s headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

It’ll be almost exactly 17 months to the day since Prochazka last competed when he makes the walk against Pereira. Prochazka suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery, leading him to vacate his light heavyweight title, which is again available after Jamahal Hill relinquished it this past July when he tore his Achilles tendon.

“He has not been here long, so for him to have been UFC champion in such a short period of time tells you how special of a talent he is,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “But with him winning as he did with a lot of frequency that he was in the octagon, I believe that that consistency helped him to where he was able to get that UFC championship belt.

“I think that this layoff is going to hurt him, but for Jiri, it’s got to feel like playing with the house’s money because he was supposed to be gone for another four months. Eighteen months, he got hurt last year. This guy is back in 15 months. They were saying 18 months until he was able to do anything.”

On the contrary, Pereira has been active as he heads into his third fight of 2023. He lost the middleweight title in April but rebounded in his light heavyweight debut this past July by earning a split decision over former champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.

Cormier expects Prochazka to have a slow start against Pereira.

“So now he’s (Prochazka) back fighting for the belt, but I do believe that this ring rust is going to play a factor, especially early,” Cormier said. “Alex Pereira has been very active.”

[lawrence-related id=2693820,2693657,2693635,2683601]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Michael Bisping: Tom Aspinall easily beats Sergei Pavlovich, becomes ‘greatest heavyweight champion the UFC has ever seen’

Heading into UFC 295, Michael Bisping has made bold predictions about Tom Aspinall’s immediate future and his career.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] has made bold predictions about [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s immediate future and his career.

Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) faces Sergei Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title in Saturday’s UFC 295 co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Since returning from knee surgery, Aspinall ran through Marcin Tybura in just over a minute this past July – notching his 12th career first-round stoppage. Pavlovich also has been dispatching his opponents early, scoring six consecutive first-round knockouts. But Bisping sees Aspinall taking Pavlovich down quickly and finishing him on the mat.

“Tom Aspinall once again is going to make this look easy,” Bisping said on the TNT Sports UFC 295 preview show. “He’s going to make this look easy. He’s going to jab him, then he’s going to level change, he’s going to take him down, and he will finish him. First round.”

Bisping previously said UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones doesn’t hold a candle to Aspinall, a statement he stands by. He even went as far as to say Aspinall will cement himself as the best heavyweight in UFC history.

“I do believe (Aspinall) beats (Pavlovich). I believe he makes it look relatively easy, and that’s not disrespect to Sergei,” Bisping said. “It’s because of how capable Tom is. And I think the skillset that he has, he’s got all the ingredients to get him the win here. I think he beats him. I think he beats Jon Jones if that comes up, and I think he dominates the heavyweight division for quite some time, and he will retire as the greatest heavyweight champion that the UFC has ever seen. I’m serious.

“I’ve always said this about Tom, and after Marcin Tybura, I said in the post-fight show, I said Jon Jones couldn’t hold a candle to Tom Aspinall, and people came after me online, and I understand why. This is Jon Jones. Maybe there was a little bit of recency bias from how devastatingly easy he beat Marcin Tybura, but he does that every time. Every time.”

[lawrence-related id=2693689,2693638,2692324,2692174]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

UFC free fight: Tom Aspinall runs through Marcin Tybura in first-round TKO

Ahead of UFC 295, watch Tom Aspinall make quick work of veteran Marcin Tybura in his return from a knee injury this past July.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s return from injury was as flawless as can be.

The English heavyweight title contender made quick work of veteran Marcin Tybura this past July in the main event of UFC Fight Night 224 in London. Aspinall just needed a little over a minute to drop Tybura and then finish him with ground-and-pound. The first-round TKO victory marked Aspinall’s return from a serious knee injury sustained in July 2022.

You can watch Aspinall’s impressive win in the video above.

Aspinall (13-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) returns this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 295, which goes down at Madison Square Garden in New York. He takes on Sergei Pavlovich (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for the interim heavyweight title.

[lawrence-related id=2693689,2693638]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Video: UFC 295 media day interviews

Before UFC 295 on Saturday, hear from the main card fighters at media day in New York.

NEW YORK – The UFC 295, which takes place at Madison Square Garden with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+, goes down Saturday.

Before fight night arrives, though, notable athletes from the main card and preliminary spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

[lawrence-related id=2693616,2693635,2693638]

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.