diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/simple-site/docs/foo/bar.md b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/simple-site/docs/foo/bar.md
index f7ac8782a9..90c2be44a7 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/simple-site/docs/foo/bar.md
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__fixtures__/simple-site/docs/foo/bar.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 id: bar
 title: Bar
 description: This is custom description
+pagination_next: null
+pagination_prev: null
 ---
 
 # Remarkable
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/docs.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/docs.test.ts.snap
index 3cbc918e83..a6a50483c1 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/docs.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/docs.test.ts.snap
@@ -3,14 +3,8 @@
 exports[`simple site custom pagination 1`] = `
 Array [
   Array [
-    Object {
-      "permalink": "/docs/rootTryToEscapeSlug",
-      "title": "rootTryToEscapeSlug",
-    },
-    Object {
-      "permalink": "/docs/foo/bazSlug.html",
-      "title": "baz pagination_label",
-    },
+    undefined,
+    undefined,
   ],
   Array [
     Object {
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
index 140e291eef..5a1e7ed3b8 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/__snapshots__/index.test.ts.snap
@@ -127,15 +127,14 @@ Object {
   "frontMatter": Object {
     "description": "This is custom description",
     "id": "bar",
+    "pagination_next": null,
+    "pagination_prev": null,
     "title": "Bar",
   },
   "id": "foo/bar",
   "lastUpdatedAt": undefined,
   "lastUpdatedBy": undefined,
-  "next": Object {
-    "permalink": "/docs/foo/bazSlug.html",
-    "title": "baz pagination_label",
-  },
+  "next": undefined,
   "permalink": "/docs/foo/bar",
   "previous": undefined,
   "sidebar": "docs",
@@ -341,13 +340,11 @@ Object {
   \\"frontMatter\\": {
     \\"id\\": \\"bar\\",
     \\"title\\": \\"Bar\\",
-    \\"description\\": \\"This is custom description\\"
+    \\"description\\": \\"This is custom description\\",
+    \\"pagination_next\\": null,
+    \\"pagination_prev\\": null
   },
-  \\"sidebar\\": \\"docs\\",
-  \\"next\\": {
-    \\"title\\": \\"baz pagination_label\\",
-    \\"permalink\\": \\"/docs/foo/bazSlug.html\\"
-  }
+  \\"sidebar\\": \\"docs\\"
 }",
   "site-docs-foo-baz-md-a69.json": "{
   \\"unversionedId\\": \\"foo/baz\\",
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts
index 17d343cbd5..a4a78f6b15 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts
@@ -227,6 +227,8 @@ describe('simple site', () => {
         description: 'This is custom description',
         id: 'bar',
         title: 'Bar',
+        pagination_next: null,
+        pagination_prev: null,
       },
       tags: [],
     });
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts
index 46769abf1b..cab18d8471 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts
@@ -319,12 +319,14 @@ export function addDocNavigation(
       return toDocNavigationLink(navDoc);
     };
 
-    const previous: DocNavLink | undefined = doc.frontMatter.pagination_prev
-      ? toNavigationLinkByDocId(doc.frontMatter.pagination_prev, 'prev')
-      : toNavigationLink(navigation.previous, docsById);
-    const next: DocNavLink | undefined = doc.frontMatter.pagination_next
-      ? toNavigationLinkByDocId(doc.frontMatter.pagination_next, 'next')
-      : toNavigationLink(navigation.next, docsById);
+    const previous =
+      doc.frontMatter.pagination_prev !== undefined
+        ? toNavigationLinkByDocId(doc.frontMatter.pagination_prev, 'prev')
+        : toNavigationLink(navigation.previous, docsById);
+    const next =
+      doc.frontMatter.pagination_next !== undefined
+        ? toNavigationLinkByDocId(doc.frontMatter.pagination_next, 'next')
+        : toNavigationLink(navigation.next, docsById);
 
     return {...doc, sidebar: navigation.sidebarName, previous, next};
   }