With 15 KO Wins in 18 Fights, Is Sergei Pavlovich on the Way to Surpass Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis as MMA’s Hardest Puncher?

When it comes to real, brute force, the UFC heavyweight division boasts of a roster that is unparalleled. Some of the hardest hitters in the world are part of the UFC heavyweight roster. Well, some of them. Former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou holds the record for the hardest punch ever. And now that he is in the PFL, it seems there is another name that is coming up fast to take his spot – Sergei Pavlovich.

Born in Russia, this 31-year-old heavyweight phenom has been instilling fears in some of the most seasoned heavyweights. Pavlovich started his training in Greco-Roman wrestling and then trained in combat sambo. If having all these in his arsenal wasn’t enough, the staggering Ape index of +9.0″ makes him the MMA fighter with the longest reach. Let’s find out if Pavlovich has what it takes to overtake fighters and legends like Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis.

Sergei Pavlovich – Punch power, finish time and more

Pavlovich is easily one of the hardest hitters in the MMA right now, if not in all of sports. That title still belongs to PFL fighter Francis Ngannou. In 2018, Ngannou set the record for having landed the hardest punch ever, when he clocked  29,161 units on a PowerKube. While Pavlovich doesn’t have data from a PowerKube, he does have other statistics that can put him in the big leagues.

According to reports, the total fight time in the first 6 wins of Francis Ngannou was 24:38, which is quite impressive. However, the shocking turn of events was Pavlovich’s data. Apparently, the numbers for the same statistics with the Russian heavyweight were a mere 12:17.  But does that really mean that he hits harder than Francis Ngannou? Or is he just a better striker or a finisher?

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Another example would be Derrick Lewis. Some sources suggest that even Derrick Lewis can pack a punch. The UFC heavyweight fighter’s punch power was recorded at 129,000 units (almost as hard as Ngannou). However, Lewis had defeated Ngannou back in UFC 226. But Sergei Pavlovich won his fight against Lewis by TKO/KO, in 2022.

Nevertheless, Pavlovich can have a championship belt around his waist and establish himself as a top contender if he wins his next fight.

Is Pavlovich a top contender for the UFC title race?

Just like Francis Ngannou became a sensation in a very short period of time, Pavlovich has been getting a lot of traction and love from the UFC fans. The Russian fighter boasts of a scarily impressive MMA record of 18-1-0. his only loss was handed to him by Alistair Overeem, who was defeated by Ngannou.

Now, Pavlovich is getting ready to fight Tom Aspinall at UFC 295. Both the fighters have great shoes to fill as they are going to be the replacement fight card for the canceled Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight card. However, there is more to this than meets the eye. Jones is the current HW champ, and he is looking to retire after this Miocic fight. However, Aspinall has called out Jones and wants to be his next fight.

Jones seemed casual about it but reacted positively. Now, if Pavlovich can repeat what he has been doing in the UFC so far and make quick work of Aspinall, he might be next in line for a title opportunity. But is Jon Jones ready to take on a younger version of Francis Ngannou? One way to find out!

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