Heavyweights threw down in the co-main event of UFC 293, with Tai Tuivasa looking to snap a two-fight skid against towering Russian Alexander Volkov.
Volkov, who has orbited the UFC heavyweight title picture for years, was on the opposite trajectory, coming off a pair of wins over Jair Rozenstruik and Alexandr Romanov.
Early on, Tuivasa looked to get inside on the big man, though a brief halt to the action came about a minute in after a glancing low blow. Back underway, Tuivasa threw hands and Volkov answered with a kick; his reach, through the early going, was a major factor, especially when he caught a Tuivasa kick and cracked him with a right hand, dumping him to the mat in the process.
Tuivasa was soon showing a bit of damage, and Volkov uncorked a combination, going to both body and head. Tuivasa employed leg kicks, but Volkov chopped at the Australian’s legs as well, with a little more force behind them. In the final minute, a right hand hurt Tuivasa; Volkov tried for a standing guillotine, and later fired a head kick that ended up being a glancing blow at beast. In the final seconds, another Volkov combination had Tuivasa covering up.
Tuivasa, emboldened by his corner, went after Volkov’s leg hard in round two. Some nasty, quick low kicks had Volkov hobbled, which was opening the door for Tuivasa to get inside. The crowd then came on, though Volkov still managed to land a effective combo. Tuivasa then went to his back after eating a right hand and slipping! Not a knockdown, but it allowed Volkov to land a punch to the gut then get on top. Tuivasa, however, escaped back to his feet after a moment, with half the round still to come.
Another caught kick by Volkov put Tuivasa on his back again. This time, Volkov made it to mount, mixing in a bit of ground and pound while looking for an arm-triangle choke. When the choke failed, Volkov opened up more with the strikes, and Tuivasa gave up his back trying to avoid the punishment. “Bam Bam” managed to survive, however, returning to his back— only to be caught in a rarely-seen Ezekiel choke! “Drago” locked it up, shades of Alexei Oleinik, and put the fight away, forcing the tap!
Official Result: Alexander Volkov def. Tai Tuivasa by submission (Ezekiel choke), Round 2, 4:37
