Pavlovich stops Teixeira in 39 seconds at UFC Macau to reclaim knockout identity

Sergei Pavlovich reminded the UFC heavyweight division what he is capable of on Saturday, knocking out Tallison Teixeira in just 39 seconds at UFC Macau. The finish — a vicious combination that ended the fight before a minute had elapsed — was Pavlovich’s first stoppage win since 2023 and his most emphatic performance in years.

“Really great feeling,” Pavlovich said in his post-fight interview. “Couple of fights back it was all about being technical, about trying to show some skills, but we weren’t able to do that. Now finally everything worked out and I’m really happy about it.”

The 39-second demolition was the product of detailed preparation. Teixeira stands four inches taller than Pavlovich, and the Russian’s team invested heavily in tape study to account for that reach and size disadvantage. “This is the second opponent I had that’s almost 2 meters in height, over 6 [feet] something,” Pavlovich said. “We looked at all of his fights, we did a lot of work, we really prepared, we dissected him and everything worked out.”

Pavlovich’s career arc makes the result all the more significant. After losing his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem in 2018, he responded with six consecutive first-round knockout wins, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous finishers in the heavyweight division. That run ended when Tom Aspinall knocked him out in a short-notice interim title fight, prompting Pavlovich to rethink his approach.

The shift toward caution and technique produced diminishing returns. A decision loss to Alexander Volkov was followed by wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Waldo Cortes-Acosta that generated little excitement. Now 21-3, Pavlovich appears to have found a middle ground — thorough preparation without sacrificing the aggression that made him a contender in the first place.

The performance puts Pavlovich firmly back in the heavyweight title conversation, though no next opponent has been announced.