Sergey Pavlovich has seven first-round knockouts in the UFC, tying him for fourth place all-time. Vitor Belfort leads with 11 first-round finishes, followed by Anthony Johnson with nine and Michal Oleksiejczuk with eight.
Sergey Pavlovich has cemented his place among the UFC's most devastating first-round finishers, joining an elite group with seven opening-round knockouts that place him fourth on the all-time list.
At the top of that list stands Vitor Belfort, the Brazilian legend nicknamed "The Phenom," who accumulated 11 first-round finishes across a UFC career that stretched over multiple decades. Now 49, Belfort carries a professional record of 26-14-0 and remains the standard against which heavy first-round hitters are measured. He connected at a 46 percent striking accuracy rate during his time in the cage and also averaged 1.02 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a threat on multiple fronts.
Anthony Johnson sits second with nine first-round knockouts, one clear of Poland's Michal Oleksiejczuk, who ranks third with eight. Oleksiejczuk, 31 and known as "Hussar," carries a record of 22-10-0 and has built that reputation through relentless output, landing 5.85 significant strikes per minute at 53 percent accuracy. The southpaw from Warsaw stands 183 cm tall with a 188 cm reach and has not registered a submission attempt per 15 minutes, underscoring that his finishing work is almost entirely done with his hands and feet.
Pavlovich ties Oleksiejczuk's predecessor on the list and slots in at fourth with seven first-round knockouts, a figure that reflects a finishing pace few heavyweights in UFC history have matched.
Why it matters
- Pavlovich's seven first-round KOs confirm him as one of the most dangerous early-fight threats in the heavyweight division
- The list spans multiple eras and weight classes, making Pavlovich's placement particularly notable as a heavyweight specialist
- Belfort's record of 11 remains a significant benchmark, still four finishes ahead of Johnson in second place
