Heavyweight Tai Tuivasa will be fighting at home when he takes on Alexander Volkov in a newly reported match-up for UFC 293.
The event takes place in Sydney, Australia on September 9, 2023 at the Qudos Bank Area, marking the first of four Sydney cards expected over the next five years.
MMA Junkie was first to report the heavyweight pairing on Thursday.
“Bam Bam” Tuivasa (14-5) has not been seen in action since being knocked out by Sergei Pavlovich this past December. That setback marked the Australian heavyweight’s second consecutive KO loss, having been put away by Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris last September.
He sits at #6 in the heavyweight division currently, and had been on a five-fight knockout streak prior to his more recent struggles.
Volkov (36-10) has won his last two fights, with “Drago” finishing opponents Alexandr Romanov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik by TKO on both occasions. The former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion remains ranked at #7 in the UFC’s official rankings.
The Russian joined the company in 2016, and has yet to suffer back-to-back losses inside the octagon (though he did, once, at the tail end of his Bellator MMA career).
UFC 293 does not yet have a main event announced, while the following match-ups have been reported for the September PPV event:
- Carlos Ulberg vs. Jung Da-un
- Viviane Araújo vs. Casey O’Neill
- Kai Kara-France vs. Manel Kape
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
