"Sore loser" - Fans blast "salty" Sergei Pavlovich for shoving Alexander Volkov during peace offering gesture at UFC Saudi Arabia

The Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov co-main event for UFC Saudi Arabia was a fairly measured affair, with neither man truly pursuing the finish, seemingly on account of their friendship. The bout was marred by controversy, with neither Pavlovich nor Volkov being all too happy to fight each other.

However, following a typical Volkov out-fighting shutout, the towering Russian approached Pavlovich for a peaceful embrace. Unfortunately, his gesture was not returned in kind, as a bloodied Pavlovich shoved him away in a head-scratching moment that left Volkov in disbelief and disappointment.

Check out Sergei Pavlovich shoving Alexander Volkov:

Pavlovich's actions were perplexing, given that he and 'Dragon' were considered friends, with neither man having wanted the fight. A clip of the incident has been making the rounds on social media, with fans on X expressing disappointment over the heavyweight knockout artist's conduct.

One fan labeled the ex-heavyweight interim title challenger a sore loser, saying:

"Sore loser"

This sentiment was echoed by another fan:

"Sore loser sh*t I used to really like pavlovich"

Pavlovich's conduct received further criticism from fans, who were none too pleased:

"Saltyyy"

Others called back to the hulking Russian's knockout loss to Tom Aspinall, opining that it may have led to him becoming tentative:

"That KO by aspinall turned one of the most aggressive fighters into a gun shy fighter"

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

It is a curious turn of events, and Volkov may be tempted to reach out to Pavlovich once tensions are low. Fights are highly emotional events, especially a loss. For now, though, Pavlovich must lick his wounds and go back to the drawing board. While he avoided another knockout loss, he still lost via unanimous decision.

Now, he has found himself on the first losing streak of his career and will have to make changes if he is to recapture the magic that once made him a terrifying force at heavyweight.