Las Vegas, NV — Former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov made short work of another “Alex” at UFC Las Vegas.
“Drago” fought off an early takedown attempt by Moldovan heavyweight Alexandr Romanov on Saturday, and from there, dominated the pair’s co-main event fight. The TKO finish came inside of a round, and gives Volkov (36-10) two straight wins in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Following the bout, Volkov admitted that he was a little surprised at the match-up, given Romanov was coming off a loss and ranked behind him.
“I was a bit surprised, but really I don’t choose my fights. I fight whoever the UFC gives me,” the Russian fighter told media outlets including Cageside Press, speaking via translator. “I wish him good luck, I think he’s a great guy. I think we could actually work together in the future. There’s lots of things that I can take from him when it comes to wrestling, I’m sure I can work on his striking with him.”
“Really, everybody who is in the top 15 are all worthy opponents,” Volkov added. “We can all learn something from each other and we can all face each other in the future.”
What comes next for Volkov could be interesting. He’s already fought many of the available names in the top 10; champ Jon Jones is booked with Stipe Miocic, and Volkov likely has a ways to go before being part of the title picture.
One available name is Tai Tuivasa, a fight Volkov is open to, though he worries a win wouldn’t do much to boost his fortunes.
“I wouldn’t mind fighting him, it’s just that it seems he’s in a bit of a losing streak. I don’t remember how many times he lost exactly, I think two at least. So I’m worried that my victory over him, if it happens, is going to weigh a little less, or be a little, kind of undermined a little bit because he’s on a losing streak.”
Tuivasa has in fact lost two straight bouts, but remains ranked ahead of Volkov, sitting at #5 in the weight class. “I don’t mind if they’ll give me him to fight, but really I’d like to maybe possibly revenge somebody that I lost to. So for instance, my rematch with [Ciryl] Gane would be interesting.”
Gane won a decision when the pair met in 2021; he’ll be looking to bounce back from his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 285 in the near future.
Derrick Lewis is someone Volkov sees in the same light as Tuivasa. Volkov trained with Sergei Pavlovich for his fight with “The Black Beast,” and has also worked alongside Serghei Spivac, who recently defeated Lewis. Between the two, with that in mind, he prefers Tuivasa.
At 34, Alexander Volkov is nearing 15 years in the sport, and as of Saturday has 46 pro fights under his belt. But he’s not thinking about the end yet.
“I’ve done this for a while, but the age that I started it in, I actually was still learning. And so I’m just now coming into form, and I think I am still learning myself,” he told Cageside Press. “We can possibly say that I have this threshold of maybe 40, but for now I feel great and I want to keep moving forward.”
Watch the full UFC Las Vegas post-fight press conference with Alexander Volkov above.
