Sergei Pavlovich Addresses Brutal UFC 295 Knockout Loss to Tom Aspinall

Sergei Pavlovich seems to be coping well with his failed bid for interim heavyweight gold against Tom Aspinall.

Pavlovich and Aspinall were booked to co-headline UFC 295 on less than three weeks’ notice at Madison Square Garden after the originally scheduled main event title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic fell through. Pavlovich was also supposed to be the backup for Jones vs. Miocic, which many believed could give him a slight edge over Aspinall.

Instead, Aspinall put Pavlovich to sleep 69 seconds into the fight to become the interim UFC heavyweight champ. The defeat marked the end of a six-fight first-round KO streak for the Russian.

Pavlovich has now issued an official statement on Telegram addressing the loss while also providing a health update. The 31-year-old appears to be an absolute sport in the aftermath of his first failed gold bid.

“I didn't suffer any damage to my health, I'm fine,” Pavlovich wrote. “Tom turned out to be faster, I was unlucky to hit him right away, but he turned out to be more accurate. Decided to take one hit. I’ll be back in the cage soon, I want to be active and perform so I can have a chance to fight for the belt again. This is my goal and we will get there! I see your support, thank you all!”