Cain Velasquez Praises Sergei Pavlovich, Notes He Is ‘Really Tough to Deal With’

Former champ Cain Velasquez offered high praise for Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight standout Sergei Pavlovich.

Pavlovich (18-1) and fellow contender Tom Aspinall are widely regarded as part of the next generation to potentially rule over the UFC’s heavyweight division. Recently asked about his opinion on the division, Velasquez hailed Aspinall and especially Pavlovich as future champ prospects.

Velasquez also revealed that he had trained with Pavlovich at American Kickboxing Academy several years ago. The former champ noted that while he still acquits himself well in training, Pavlovich was one of the few he found “difficult” to deal with. He also lauded the wrestling skills of Pavlovich, who is currently on a six-fight first-round KO streak. The 41-year-old recently told The Schmo:

“With Sergey, I’ve actually trained with him,” the former UFC heavyweight kingpin stated. “It was a couple of years ago too. So obviously, when he wasn’t at this level yet. And he’s really tough to deal with. And, me training with him at AKA, not a lot of guys get the better of me, and he was one of those guys where it was like, he was very difficult to do what I wanted to do against him. A good strong wrestling background, very strong wrestling defense but also hard punching and really good striking. Long, long and powerful; really tough to deal with.”