Russian heavyweight Sergey Pavlovich scores big KO win at UFC St. Petersburg (VIDEO)

Russian heavyweight Sergey Pavlovich registered his first octagon win in style with a big first-round KO win over Brazil’s Marcelo Golm at UFC ST. Petersburg.

Pavlovich, 26, suffered disappointment on his UFC bow in China last November when he was finished inside a round by Dutch veteran Alistair Overeem – which saw the Russian’s unblemished 12-fight record end with it.

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But Pavlovich bounced back on home soil at St. Petersburg’s Yubileyniy Palace on Saturday night, stopping Golm inside the first round.

The big Russian set up the finale with a series of solid jabs before continuing to spear through his opponent’s defense with some big punches and finishing him off with a crunching uppercut, forcing referee Leon Roberts to step in.

Pavlovich was a popular winner among a partisan home crowd, and improved his record to 13-1 to get his UFC career back on track.

For Golm it was a third successive defeat, and the 26-year-old Brazilian now stands 6-3 overall, and he may be forced at assess his UFC future.