UFC Fight Night 141 Preview: Everything you need to know about UFC China, Blaydes vs Ngannou 2

#2 Alistair Overeem vs Sergey Pavlovich - Heavyweight

Alistair Overeem desperately needs a win to recover from his last two losses

Once a contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Alistair Overeem has fallen far in the world of UFC. He lost his title fight against Stipe Miocic in late 2016, and tried to move on from the loss fast.

This was where he was successful, as he defeated Mark Hunt and Fabricio Werdum in back-to-back bouts in 2017. Looking to put a seal on the year, he then faced Francis Ngannou.

Here, he was not so lucky. A loss to Ngannou put him back quite a few steps, and this time when he tried to bounce back with a fight against Curtis Blaydes, he only fell further.

He lost to Blaydes in 2018 at UFC 225, and is now ranked as the number 6 UFC Heavyweight on the roster. A win here is critical for him, and any title hopes he may have for the immediate future.

His opponent is none other than Sergey Pavlovich. A newcomer to the Octagon, he is not a fighter anyone should be looking past soon.

Pavlovich is yet to be defeated in his professional mixed martial arts career, with a current record of being undefeated after 12 fights.

This will be Pavlovich's first fight in over a year, and he will be looking to make an immediate impact with his Octagon debut. A win over Overeem at UFC Fight Night 141 would be the most direct possible message to send the rest of the Heavyweight division about his intentions.