Sergei Pavlovich reveals that he gambled before his fight

Sergei Pavlovich reveals that he gambled before his fight
Published on Apr 26, 2023, 4:00:00 PM
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Sergei Pavlovich's first-ever UFC main event may have gone well, but his pre-fight casino trip did not go so well.

One of the scariest new contenders in the UFC's heavyweight division, Pavlovich made a statement by knocking out Curtis Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 222. Headlining his first UFC event, the Russian was able to knock out Blaydes in the first round, improving his record to 18-1 overall.

Sergei Pavlovich was caught on camera in what appeared to be the hotel casino just a few hours before his scheduled entrance as the night's final fighter. Former UFC fighter Alan Jouban snuck footage of him hitting up the slots machine, seemingly unfazed by the violence to come.

During the post-fight press conference, Pavlovich was asked about this incident. He explained through his translator that he had never been to a casino before, and that he had been given money to try it out by one of his teammates.

"To be honest, I've never gambled," Pavlovich said. "I've never played any of those things, and a buddy of mine was like, 'Here's a hundred bucks. Go play, try it, see how you feel,' and now somebody else filmed the video, and there you go."

"Alright, I'll tell you what happened," Pavlovich said. "First I won. I'm thinking 'Alright, maybe I'll win some more,' and then I lost everything."

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