LAS VEGAS – Serghei Spivac got in and out of his fight at UFC 272 in a hurry, but he doesn’t think a potentially quick turnaround against one particular opponent would be in the cards.
Spivac (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) had virtually no issues against Greg Hardy (7-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC) in their heavyweight fight to open the main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Once he got the fight to the canvas against Hardy, who likely had 40 or more pounds on him, he was on his way to a TKO in less than half a round.
But when asked if he’d be down to try to avenge his most recent loss against Tom Aspinall in two weeks in London, he wasn’t willing to take the bait.
Aspinall is set to headline UFC Fight Night 204 against Alexander Volkov. And while that bout remains intact, there have been rumblings that Volkov, from Russia, might have trouble getting into England with restrictions on visas for travelers from Russia in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Spivac took a fight with Aspinall on short notice in September 2021 and was stopped with a first-round TKO.
“I don’t know if it’s right. The last time I fought him, I said yes after one week and I wasn’t ready for it,” Spivac said.
That one-week notice was a stark difference to his fight against Hardy at UFC 272. That fight was delayed when Hardy suffered a finger injury, meaning Spivac had a lengthy camp.
He said he’s also not willing to call out any particular opponent for his next one, even though he walked away from Hardy seemingly unscathed.
“I like fights like this – first round, not a long fight,” Spivac said. “You don’t have injuries. For this job, it’s very important. Because it was the first round, I didn’t feel (his size advantage). If it had gone to the second or third round – maybe.
“Six months, I prepared for this fight. It’s a very long training camp. But I think three months, I’ll come back. I don’t choose my opponents. The UFC gives me fights, and I fight.”
