UFC Vegas 71 went down last night (Sat., April 22, 2023) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Heavyweight fight between that saw Sergei Pavlovich score a vicious first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes (highlights). In further action, Bruno Silva stopped Brad Tavares in the very first round.
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Biggest Winner: Sergei Pavlovich
All Pavlovich does is win, and violently. The Russian big man scored his sixth straight first round stoppage win after knocking out No. 4 ranked, Curtis Blaydes, in the very first round. The win should without a doubt get him the next shot at the Heavyweight title, after Stipe Miocic, of course. People have been sleeping on Pavlovich but his latest streak has mandated that he deserves the attention and respect as a legit threat to win the 265-pound strap. The man is a nightmare for anyone that stands in front of him and if not for Miocic standing in the way, he’d be the rightful owner of the next title shot.
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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Runner Up: Bruno Silva
Coming into the event, Silva was riding a career-first two-fight losing streak, putting him in danger of falling further down the pecking order and possibly even getting a pink slip. It’s that hunger and desperation that gave him the extra urgency to get in and take care of business. And he did just that, stopping Brad Tavares in the very first round via technical knockout. The win gives Silva some much-needed confidence moving forward and a new lease on his combat life. It will at least give him another fight inside the Octagon.
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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Biggest Loser: Curtis Blaydes
For the second time, Blaydes comes up short when hes on the verge of breaking through for a shot at the title. Back in 2021, “Razor” faced Derrick Lewis attempting to earn his fifth straight win to possible earn a championship fight. Instead he was knocked out cold by “Black Beast.” He bounced back to earn three straight wins to put him in the position to once again get into the championship conversation. And once again, unfortunately, the wrestling big man was knocked out in scary fashion, ending his streak and momentum. But that’s the fight game, and Blaydes has proven that he can bounce back and rack up wins in a hurry.
For complete UFC Vegas 71 results and coverage click here.