Alexander Volkov
Drago
Russia
Finds upset split decision win
Volkov defeated Jailton Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC 321 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Volkov was on the short end of a horrendous split decision against Ciryl Gane in his most recent fight last December. He got back in the win column here, and deserved the victory, although the optics made it far from a guarantee he would leave with one. Volkov struggled with the grappling game of Almeida the entire fight. He gave up seven takedowns and 10:47 worth of control time. He was able to reverse position and do some damage in Round 1 to win that frame. Volkov got nothing going in Round 2, but he was able to land a handful of meaningful blows up against the fence early in Round 3 before being grounded. Those strikes were deemed by two of the three judges to be more important than the boring inactivity Almeida displayed from top position the rest of the way. Volkov, at age 37, could easily be next for the winner of the upcoming Tom Aspinall v. Gane title fight scheduled for later in the evening.
Volkov was on the short end of a horrendous split decision against Ciryl Gane in his most recent fight last December. He got back in the win column here, and deserved the victory, although the optics made it far from a guarantee he would leave with one. Volkov struggled with the grappling game of Almeida the entire fight. He gave up seven takedowns and 10:47 worth of control time. He was able to reverse position and do some damage in Round 1 to win that frame. Volkov got nothing going in Round 2, but he was able to land a handful of meaningful blows up against the fence early in Round 3 before being grounded. Those strikes were deemed by two of the three judges to be more important than the boring inactivity Almeida displayed from top position the rest of the way. Volkov, at age 37, could easily be next for the winner of the upcoming Tom Aspinall v. Gane title fight scheduled for later in the evening.
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Will collide with Almeida
Volkov is scheduled to compete against fellow heavyweight Jailton Almeida at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 25, per Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Volkov will have another chance to get a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. It looks like his upcoming fight is a title eliminator, with both making relatively reasonable cases for a match with Tom Aspinall. Volkov's previous fight was a controversial decision loss to Cyril Gane, so the former should look to be more decisive come October.
Volkov will have another chance to get a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. It looks like his upcoming fight is a title eliminator, with both making relatively reasonable cases for a match with Tom Aspinall. Volkov's previous fight was a controversial decision loss to Cyril Gane, so the former should look to be more decisive come October.
Gets no help from judges in defeat
Volkov lost to Ciryl Gane via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC 310 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It was our first poor decision of the evening, but it came in a massive spot. After getting routed by Gane in a five-round main event between the two back in June 2021, Volkov flipped the script completely. He leaned on his grappling, ultimately landing 3-of-4 takedown attempts. That led to increased openings on the feet, and also resulted in Gane being grounded for nearly all of Round 3 in what everyone assumed was a 1-1 tie. Little did we know, two of the three judges gave Gane Round 2. Volkov was visibly furious on the way out of the Octagon, and UFC President Dana White even came over and spoke to him. That's little consolation for the Alex, who is now 36 years old and sees his four-fight winning streak snapped in the process.
It was our first poor decision of the evening, but it came in a massive spot. After getting routed by Gane in a five-round main event between the two back in June 2021, Volkov flipped the script completely. He leaned on his grappling, ultimately landing 3-of-4 takedown attempts. That led to increased openings on the feet, and also resulted in Gane being grounded for nearly all of Round 3 in what everyone assumed was a 1-1 tie. Little did we know, two of the three judges gave Gane Round 2. Volkov was visibly furious on the way out of the Octagon, and UFC President Dana White even came over and spoke to him. That's little consolation for the Alex, who is now 36 years old and sees his four-fight winning streak snapped in the process.
Gane fight re-scheduled
Volkov (knee) is scheduled to compete against fellow heavyweight Ciryl Gane at UFC 310 in Las Vegas on Dec. 7, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
While a knee injury will prevent Volkov from fighting Gane in October, another four-to-six weeks will be enough for the Russian to recover. He has another few months to try and redeem himself from June 2021, when Gane won their first bout against each other.
While a knee injury will prevent Volkov from fighting Gane in October, another four-to-six weeks will be enough for the Russian to recover. He has another few months to try and redeem himself from June 2021, when Gane won their first bout against each other.
Knee injury causes fight withdrawal
Volkov has a knee injury and will not fight Ciryl Gane at UFC 308 on Oct. 26, Mike Heck of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Reportedly, the Gane-Volkov rematch has been re-scheduled for UFC 310, expected to take place Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. However, that is not a guarantee, resulting in Volkov's return date being unclear. He may return then but may see his next fight being pushed back until 2025.
Reportedly, the Gane-Volkov rematch has been re-scheduled for UFC 310, expected to take place Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. However, that is not a guarantee, resulting in Volkov's return date being unclear. He may return then but may see his next fight being pushed back until 2025.
Agrees to fight Gane
Volkov has agreed to fight fellow heavyweight Ciryl Gane at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26, per Alexander K. Lee of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
After pulling an upset win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia, Volkov will look to shock the world again by defeating Gane. This targeted fight will be the second time Volkov competes against Gane. The first time they fought, Gane handily defeated Volkov via decision at UFC Vegas 30 in June 2021. Gane losing to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones have proven that he can be defeated though, something that seemed less likely before Bon Gamin and Volkov squared off the first time three years ago.
After pulling an upset win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia, Volkov will look to shock the world again by defeating Gane. This targeted fight will be the second time Volkov competes against Gane. The first time they fought, Gane handily defeated Volkov via decision at UFC Vegas 30 in June 2021. Gane losing to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones have proven that he can be defeated though, something that seemed less likely before Bon Gamin and Volkov squared off the first time three years ago.