MMA Preview – Derrick Lewis vs Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 277
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DERRICK LEWIS VS SERGEI PAVLOVICH FACTS
When is UFC 277? Sunday 30th July, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 277? American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 277? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 277
What channel is UFC 277 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 277? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
DERRICK LEWIS VS SERGEI PAVLOVICH LOWDOWN
Derrick Lewis (26-9(1)) heads out for his 25th UFC fight and his fifth UFC appearance in his adopted home state of Texas. He has lost his last two on home soil which was gutting for ‘The Black Beast’. He was coming off one of his best runs in earning decisions over Blagoy Ivanov (2019), Ilir Latifi (2020) and then knocking out Alexey Oleynik (2020) and Curtis Blaydes (2021). However, he came back home to welcome Cyril Gane (2021) who simply had too much class eventually putting him out of his misery with a TKO in the third round. He bounced back with a vintage knockout over Chris Daukaus (2021) but is coming off another humbling knockout courtesy of Tai Tuivasa’s elbow back in February.
Sergei Pavlovich (15-1) has only been humbled once in his professional career. That came on his UFC debut when Alistair Overeem (2018) displayed all his experience with a violent and calculated finish on the ground. However, despite only fighting three times since, Pavlovich has got straight back to old habits with three ruthless first-round knockouts – Marcelo Golm (2019), Maurice Greene (2019) and then Shamil Abdurakhimov (2022).
DERRICK LEWIS VS SERGEI PAVLOVICH PREDICTION
Lewis is not going to expose the holes in Pavlovich’s grappling like Overeem did, but he still presents a much tougher challenge than the Russian’s previous three opponents. Lewis’ simply experience does not compare and on paper it makes little sense for Pavlovich to be the favourite.
That said, the Russian has the power, speed and reach to crumble any heavyweight. If an unmotivated Lewis turns up, we can easily see him getting caught and shelling up allowing Pavlovich to empty the tank in search of a finish.
However, he has eaten 4.45 shots a minute in the UFC, something he cannot afford to do against Lewis. Pavlovich will be extremely dangerous in the first round, but Lewis’ lack of output will help if this goes past five minutes and only needs one clean strike to cause the upset.
Prediction: Lewis via KO/TKO - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Lewis via KO/TKO
