Sergei Pavlovich has already tried to turn this weekend’s UFC Fight Night bout with Tallison Teixeira into a mind game. Last month, the Russian heavyweight posted an Instagram message aimed at Teixeira and tagged him directly, telling the 26-year-old, “You are asking for a war... be ready — it will end soon. Review your plan.”
The message is drawing attention now because the fight lands this weekend at Galaxy Arena in Macau, in the middle of the main card, and because Pavlovich is not speaking down to just any opponent. He is a 34-year-old Top 5 heavyweight with an 8-3 record who once ran off six straight first-round knockouts, while Teixeira is only 2-1 in the UFC and is still finding his footing after earning his roster spot on Season 8 of the Contender Series.
Pavlovich also put his warning in plain language earlier this week, saying Teixeira seemed like a young guy and a little bit of a hot head who likes to get into brawls, then adding that he is the kind of fighter who likes those exchanges too. Valter Walker translated the Instagram post into Portuguese in the comments, helping make sure the message reached Teixeira without losing its edge.
That edge matters because Teixeira has reached this stage with very little cage time. Before his bout with Tai Tuivasa at UFC 325, he had never been out of the first round and had logged just 70 seconds of UFC experience, split into 35 seconds in a win over Justin Tafa and 35 seconds in a loss to Derrick Lewis. Pavlovich, by contrast, has already beaten Derrick Lewis, Tuivasa and Curtis Blaydes during his knockout streak, then followed those finishes with clear decision wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Waldo Cortes Acosta.
The matchup also sits at an awkward point in Pavlovich’s career. He was once tabbed to battle Tom Aspinall when the interim title was last introduced at UFC 295, a reminder that he has lived near the top of the division before. Teixeira now walks into that kind of spotlight with far less experience and a much shorter UFC résumé, which is why Pavlovich’s warning lands as more than pre-fight noise.
What happens in Macau should tell the more important story than anything posted online. Pavlovich has made clear he expects a fight on his terms, and Teixeira now has to show whether a younger heavyweight with barely any UFC mileage can answer that kind of pressure without being pulled into the kind of exchange Pavlovich says he welcomes.
