WATCH: “Baptised in the snow” – Russian UFC star Sergei Pavlovich performing religious ceremony in freezing cold has fans stunned

Sergei Pavlovich's bold self-baptism in icy waters highlights his strong Christian devotion, marking Epiphany in a personal and publicly shared ritual.

WATCH: “Baptised in the snow” – Russian UFC star Sergei Pavlovich performing religious ceremony in freezing cold has fans stunned

Sergei Pavlovich baptism (Image via: X)

Sergei Pavlovich wreaked havoc in the UFC’s heavyweight division before the knockout loss to Tom Aspinall at UFC 295. After he lost his UFC debut to Alistair Overeem, he reeled off six consecutive first-round finishes before his next loss. Pavlovich is from Orlovsky, Rostov Oblast in Russia and is a devout Christian. Recently, his devotion made him do something that went viral on social media.

On his official Instagram, Pavlovich shared his baptism ceremony. However, it was no ordinary baptism. Pavlovich baptized himself in freezing conditions outside his home. Pavlovich wore only shorts whilst people on the video wore insulated clothing. Many fighters in the UFC hold their religion dear to their heart, and Pavlovich is one of them. Pavlovich conducted the ritual to commemorate Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. January 19 is Epiphany for Orthodox Christians.

YouTube video

In addition to Pavlovich, Beneil Dariush, Chris Weidman, Bryce Mitchell, Jon Jones, and Michael Chandler, among others, are devout Christians. Mitchell recently brought the Holy Bible into the octagon after his victory and prayed along with his opponent. Dariush often credited his success to Jesus during his octagon interviews.

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Sergei Pavlovich does not have a fight lined up. Top 10 heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov also do not have fights lined up. Either of the two could become potential opponents for Pavlovich. With a 100 percent finish rate, Pavlovich is a fan’s delight. Fight fans eagerly await his return.

Related: WATCH: ‘He beats Jon Jones’ – Tom Aspinall SMOKES Russian phenom Sergei Pavlovich with incredible KO at UFC 295

MMA netizens react to Sergei Pavlovich’s baptism in the freezing cold

Sergei Pavlovich is one of the destructive forces in the UFC’s heavyweight division. With highlight reel finish after highlight reel finish, Pavlovich stole the hearts of both hardcore and casual MMA fans. After only eight fights in the UFC with six victories, all of them via finish, Pavlovich was the Boogeyman of the division.

Sergei Pavlovich
Sergei Pavlovich (via IMAGO)

However, he fell short in the interim heavyweight title fight against Tom Aspinall. Recently, Pavlovich commemorated Epiphany as he is an Orthodox Christian. Epiphany is a major holiday for Orthodox Christians. What surprised many was the way he did it in the cold. See below how the MMA netizens reacted to it.

https://twitter.com/wolajustowska/status/1748169987188039728
https://twitter.com/DamagedKebab/status/1748134854376714385

MMA netizens praised Pavlovich for his devotion to his religion and Jesus Christ. Even MMA fighter Alexandr Shabliy praised the Russian heavyweight. Some also found the practice to be something that an ordinary person could not do. They found Pavlovich extraordinary.

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