Tai Tuivasa is a one-punch expert, who’s put to sleep a number of opponents so far in his one-decade-long professional career as an MMA fighter. In fact, 13 of his 14 wins happened by knockout/technical knockout. When it comes to his losses, two happened by KO/TKO, two by submission, and one by decision.
What’s interesting is that his two knockout defeats happened against players with a very long reach – Junior Dos Santos (77 inches) and Cyril Gane (81 inches).
This fact needs to worry him a lot because this Saturday, he’s squaring off against the man with the longest reach in the UFC. Sergei Pavlovich is the man in question, whose 84-inch reach is nine inches longer than Tuivasa’s.
Tai Tuivasa vs Sergei Pavlovich Odds
Moneyline
| Tai Tuivasa | +152 |
| Sergei Pavlovich | -180 |
*Odds taken from FanDuel on Tuesday, November 29.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Amway Center in Orlando, Florida
- Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
- How to Watch: ESPN
Tai Tuivasa Wants to Bounce Back After Cyril Gane Loss
The last time Tai Tuivasa was inside the octagon was on September 3 in the capital of France. He fought France’s favorite son Ciryl Gane, who beat him by KO in a super-entertaining fight. Bon Gamin was way better fighter, but Tuivasa showed the world he loves to fight. He was fearless, going at his opponent and not caring about hard punches that were coming from the opposite way.
This strategy did not work against Gane, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t work against Pavlovich. We also know that Tuivasa has fists made of stone that can put literally anyone to sleep. If he hits Pavlovich properly, the Russian will fall.
What this means is that the Tuivasa vs Pavlovich fight comes down to this – if Pavlovich manages to dodge Tuivasa’s strikes, he’s probably going to win.
Can Sergei Pavlovich Keep His Hard-Punching Opponent at a Distance
With an Ape index of +9.0”, Pavlovich has the longest reach in the UFC. This is why no one should be surprised that he’s a great boxer who knows how to keep his opponents at a distance. His long arms and boxing skills helped him to beat such knockout artists, most notably, Derrick Lewis.
The only defeat Pavlovich has suffered so far happened against Alistair Overeem in what was the promotional debut for the Russian fighter. The Dutchman beat him by knockout in a fight that involved a lot of grappling and wrestling.
In fact, Overeem got the win from ground and pound. Pavlovich’s defense on the ground was horrible in that bout, but his skills have evolved since. He’s obviously learned his lesson, the evidence being that he’s suffered no takedowns since that fight.
Tai Tuivasa vs Sergei Pavlovich Prediction
Our prediction for this fight is that it won’t last long. One of these will knockout out the other one within 15 minutes. But who is it going to be? Pavlovich is the better fighter, but Tuivasa has the nuclear option in his fists.
That said, Tuivasa vs Pavlovich is really a coin toss. But since the bookies favor Pavlovich, the value lies in Tuivasa. Priced at +152, Bam Bam is our top pick.
Pick: Tai Tuivasa by knockout