“So much needed right now just wins. Maybe it wasn’t so impressive, but Waldo is f*cking tough mother f*cker. Nobody can finish him,” Volkov told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I put him knockdown in the second round, but I was so accurate with his tricks.”

Volkov (40-11) was well aware the fight may not have been aesthetically pleasing to fans, especially against a known heavy-hitter like Cortes-Acosta, as the Russian largely relied on a point-scoring game plan to keep himself out of danger. It’s a lesson he learned the hard way in the past against another dangerous knockout artist.

“I learned the lesson. 2008 when Derrick Lewis did the same and (caught) me at the very end of the fight. Everybody reminds me of this again and again every time they see me. So I know this lesson very good,” he said.

“With these tough mother f*ckers who can punch in any minute in fight, better to be very accurate, and just give him lot of damage.”

Volkov has spoken about fighting for the UFC title, including in the cage, but struck a surprisingly self-deprecating tone when discussing his place among the division’s elite following the win. Despite his resume and success, he downplayed his standing and admitted to feeling the pressure that comes with climbing the heavyweight ranks.

“I don’t know. I understand the rules of the game. I’m so scared to fight for the title honestly. This guy is so big, so huge, so talented. I don’t know what I’m doing here in top two honestly,” he said.

“It’s so hard to be there like I need to do every time like new plan, how to win. I hid in my closet and coach can’t find me so I almost miss the bus to arena. I don’t know what I will do when I will fight for the title, I don’t know why I tell this. I was so brave after the win, but now a little bit calm down, I don’t know why I did this.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Alexander Volkov above. 

The post Alexander Volkov Touts Lessons Learned Against Derrick Lewis appeared first on Cageside Press.

Joshua Van kept his title at flyweight with an impressive outing against Tatsuro Taira. But none of these compare to what we saw in the main event, which can only be described as the early favourite for upset of the year. With UFC 328 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Sean Strickland

Despite having one of the most unorthodox styles the sport has ever seen, Sean Strickland has overcome two title losses on his road to get it back from the man who was best described as the boogeyman. Don’t look now, but Strickland has taken the belt from Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev, which is likely a Hall of Fame worthy achievement. This is nothing short of a monumental win for Strickland. You can’t help but feel bad for Nassourdine Imavov since the split nature of the decision will probably lead us to a much anticipated rematch.

Strickland’s next fight: Khamzat Chimaev

Joshua Van

Joshua Van is officially the winner of the first ever UFC title fight between two fighters born in the 21st century. He had to overcome Tatsuro Taira’s elite grappling, but his melting style eventually still came through and the abuse for too much for the Japanese warrior. While this still won’t convince people he defeated Alexandre Pantoja, this at least legitimizes Van’s title a little bit. Hopefully, Pantoja’s injury recovery is going well enough that the next flyweight title fight is a rematch between Van and Pantoja.

Van’s next fight: Alexandre Pantoja

Alexander Volkov

Alexander Volkov has to be on the unluckiest run of any top3 contender in the UFC. He’s 6-1 in his last 7 fights, and most people believe he’s actually 7-0. Despite turning away yet another younger contender who had real momentum behind him, I highly doubt this win will grant Volkov his much-deserved title shot. Tom Aspinall will have to face the winner of the upcoming interim title fight, which means we probably won’t have an undisputed heavyweight champion ready to defend his belt against Volkov until at least early 2027. To add to that, would anybody be shocked if Josh Hokit, with a big finish against Derrick Lewis at the White House, overtakes Volkov as the number one contender? For as unfair as it is, Volkov will surely need another win. At the very least, the heavyweight division will keep throwing options at Volkov and the winner of the Rizvan Kuniev and Tyrell Fortune fight is one that makes sense.

Volkov’s next fight: Kuniev/Fortune winner

Sean Brady

Sean Brady was in bad need of a bounce back performance, and he delivered. A dominant showing against a fellow to10 contender in Joaquin Buckley and all of a sudden, Brady seems to be back on track. Because of the title picture is clogged with names like Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, I wouldn’t book Brady with someone up the rankings just yet, as it would simply clog it even more. Instead, I would look at a streaking contender who deserves a shot at someone in Brady’s position, any of the names ranked from 11 to 15 would make sense, but Mike Malott is the name with the best case to get a matchup like this.

Brady’s next fight: Mike Malott

King Green

When Mauricio Ruffy sent King Green to the shadow realm, it looked it might be the end for King Green in the UFC. Fast forward a year, and now Green is on a three-fight win streak, coming off back-to-back dominant performances punctuated by finishes. Until they book this fight, I will keep recommending it: King Green vs Michael Johnson. This fight sounds like too much fun to keep passing over.

Green’s next fight: Michael Johnson

The post What’s Next: UFC 328 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

With interim gold on the line between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane next month, and champ Tom Aspinall waiting to make his return, the winner of “Drago” vs. “Salsa Boy” had a shot to potentially be next in line.

Volkov, as he so often does, had a height and reach advantage in the bout, though he was only three inches taller than Dominican Cortes-Acosta. The former Bellator champ fired low kicks early, but Cortes-Acosta was happy to return fire. Cortes-Acosta also worked his jab, but not surprisingly, it couldn’t cover the distance required to reach Volkov. The Russian, meanwhile, landed his inside leg kick more than once as he circled and moved side-to-side.

Cortes-Acosta finally exploded ahead of the midway mark of round one, firing some fastballs, but Volkov blocked then escaped. He’d continue working both inside and outside leg kicks. Cortes-Acosta chased the towering Volkov, firing heavy punches that continued to hit air. Volkov went to the body with a kick, and connected; Cortes-Acosta landed a jab off of it however. Moments later, Cortes-Acosta moved in with a two punch combo that took Volkov by surprise. Volkov was showing a bit of redness around the nose after that.

Round two saw Cortes-Acosta pressing forward, putting on enough pressure for Volkov to briefly change levels. Cortes-Acosta began targeting the body, and found a home for his right hand as well. Volkov answered with a kick to the body, then another. A high kick by Volkov had a combination trailing it, though Cortes-Acosta wasn’t in any danger. As the round wore on, Cortes-Acosta pointed to center, pleading for a brawl that Volkov wasn’t interested in.

Moments later, it was Volkov clipping Waldo with a punch; “Salsa Boy” waved him in anyway. Cortes-Acosta recovered, but Volkov landed a head kick moments later. Not enough on it, but it landed clean. Cortes-Acosta fired a few leg kicks of his own, but appeared to have slowed by the end of the round. Volkov landed a jab, and nearly stumbled Cortes-Acosta with another outside kick to close out the frame.

The third frame still had the fight up for grabs, with it easily one round apiece after two rounds. Cortes-Acosta’s corner certainly told him as much. Volkov, however, was more active early, firing a head kick and trailing it with a second kick to the body. Moments later, an eye poke landed, with the ref missing it initially then calling time so that Volkov, the victim, could recover. On the restart, Cortes-Acosta came out hot, but a Volkov jab, and a body kick just after, shut that flurry down. Volkov, however, was bloodied. Cortes-Acosta fired a heavy overhand. Volkov went high with another kick, but Cortes-Acosta began firing heavy shots, having found a second wind. Went Volkov ripped another kick, Cortes-Acosta reached for a takedown, but Volkov just walked him to the fence.

With a minute on the clock, it would come down to who wanted it more. Cortes-Acosta threw a massive overhand that hit air. Volkov fired a kick, and a straight. Then another kick. Cortes-Acosta had damage around his eye, but the blood leaking from Volkov’s nose was far more noticeable. And it was Cortes-Acosta swinging for the fences late, looking to steal the round, and the fight.

No such luck for Waldo. Volkov took the win on the scorecards, then called for a title fight, saying that Alex Pereira is “not a heavyweight.”

Official Result: Alexander Volkov def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Alexander Volkov Beats Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Calls for Title Shot Saying Pereira “Not a Heavyweight” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Volkov (39-11) will look for his sixth win in seven fights when he faces “Salsa Boy” at UFC 328 this Saturday, and told media outlets including Cageside Press this week that the Dominican heavyweight “looks very familiar for me.”

When it comes to the type of fighter that Cortes-Acosta is, Volkov, a former Bellator heavyweight champ, sees a “guy with good boxing skills, with a heavy punch. The opponent who always has a chance to knock you out, at any time in a fight. Very familiar. I know what to do with this type of guy.”

Volkov believes that Cortes-Acosta’s best attribute might not be physical, however. “I think his strong side right now is his motivation. The place where he is right now, his motivation to go forward, his motivation to fight with the top guys.”

It won’t be easy to beat Cortes-Acosta, added Volkov, adding “he’s hungry for this, and this makes him dangerous.”

The heavyweight division is in an interesting spot at the moment. For years, fans have derided sloppy, boring fights between out of shape heavyweights. Yet of late, there have been bright spots. Josh Hokit vs. Curtis Blaydes was a potential Fight of the Year. Brando Pericic vs. Shamil Gaziev won Fight of the Night at this past weekend’s UFC Perth.

Alexander Volkov, for one, wants more fighters like Hokit to arrive. “I would like more powerful, dangerous and bright fighters in the division. More guys like Josh Hokit and Waldo, [Alex] Pereira if he comes,” he stated, noting that the more high-caliber fighters who show up in the division, the better it is for him. “It’s more honor to be at the top with these guys in the division than to be on top when everybody says the heavyweight division is not in its prime right now.”

Which means Volkov is “feeling great” about heavyweight at the moment. “Some new fighters coming up, some new fighters coming in our division. Strong fighters. I cannot just wait for title shot, I can [beat] the guys on hype, get my honor for this, get my goals for this and show everyone I’m still one of the best in the world.”

Watch the full UFC 328 media day appearance by Alexander Volkov above.

The post UFC 328: Alexander Volkov Wants More “Powerful, Dangerous” Fighters to Come to Heavyweight appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Thursday, UFC officials announced that Chimaev (15-0) will make his first title defense in May, when he’ll take on Sean Strickland (30-7) in the main event of UFC 328.

The card takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 2026, and sees Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta serving as co-headliner.

Chimaev defeated Dricus Du Plessis with apparent ease at UFC 319 last August. That marked the Chechen’s long-awaited summit at the top of the middleweight mountain. The only knock on “Borz” over the past few years has been his lack of activity, partly due to illness. He’s fought just once in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025.

That’s a drastic change of course from his early UFC career, when he set activity records in the promotion.

Strickland reinserted himself in the title picture by defeated the surging Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez by knockout in the main event of UFC Houston last month. After shocking the MMA world by defeating Israel Adesanya to claim gold in September of 2023, Strickland lost the title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Toronto the following January.

A win over Paulo Costa earned Strickland a second crack at Du Plessis last year, but that fight didn’t go his way either. Yet with Reinier de Ridder falling off, Caio Borralho coming off a single win, and Hernandez having had the best case for a chance at gold, Strickland’s timing has proven perfect.

Thought Nassourdine Imavov might have something to say about it.

Announced for the UFC 328 card on May 9 are the following match-ups:

• Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland – for the UFC middleweight championship
• Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
• Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
• King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz

The post Chimaev vs. Strickland Title Fight Headlines UFC 328 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Volkanovski came away with the win that night in Miami. He also came away with the UFC’s featherweight championship for the second time in his career. Saturday at UFC 325 marks his first title defense since then, while Lopes has fought once in between, defeating Jean Silva at last September’s Noche UFC.

The pairing comes while other contenders including Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy sit waiting. Silva, meanwhile, got back in the win column last week.

Volkanovski has an interesting field of options ahead of him should he win on Saturday. One would be to simply retire, at home in Australia. Volk is one of the rare older champs in the lighter weight classes, and at 37, one way or another, his run is coming to an end.

If he choses to fight on, should he defeat Lopes a second time, there’s the obvious choices of Murphy or Evloev, which is the obvious next step. Then Silva or Yair Rodriguez, perhaps, should either manage to pick up another high-profile win.

Or… just hear us out… there’s a chance Volkanovski chases Ilia Topuria, who defeated him for featherweight gold, going after a lightweight title one last time.

Even trying that would be remarkable, but Alexander Volkanovski has always been just that: remarkable.

Should Lopes win? Well, featherweight would be wide open.

Following Saturday’s UFC 325, tune in for the event’s post-fight press conference. Dana White stayed home for this one, but the main card winners will be on hand. Check it out above.

The post UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on Cageside Press.

Tom Aspinall, of course, is expected to face Gane in a rematch at a later date.

Mackenzie Dern

It often looked like it wouldn’t happen and though she may have taken the scenic route to get there, alas, Mackenzie Dern is a UFC champion. She’s been one of the most frustrating fighters to watch for years due to her lack of skill development. For a couple of years in the middle of her tenure, Dern appeared to make very little improvement in her striking offence, defence, while never implementing any ground-and-pound whatsoever to her otherworldly grappling abilities.

It’s not like she’s been on a crazy win streak (this was her third straight victory after losing back-to-back fights not too long ago), but there’s no question this was her best performance yet. She took on a Virna Jandiroba who actually was dominating everyone she faced, yet Dern out struck her on the feet, completely neutralized her grappling and outpaced her in Merab Dvalishvili-esque fashion. At 32 years of age, Dern appears to have finally put it all together. Time will tell if the UFC thinks Tatiana Suarez’s last win is enough to grant her another title shot, but with Zhang Weili up at flyweight, she seems to be the only current viable contender.

Dern’s next fight: Tatiana Suarez

Umar Nurmagomedov

Coming from Khabib’s camp and family, Umar has had future champion written all over him for years. However, “The Machine” pulled off the upset in January, handing Umar his first ever loss in a mixed martial arts contest. Still seen as perhaps the only bantamweight with a realistic shot at beating Dvalishvili, Umar was tasked with beating a Mario Bautista who is a notoriously tough opponent to look good against and on an eight-fight heater coming in. He had to survive a nasty-looking toehold in the first round and a flush knee to the face in the second, but Nurmagomedov still showcased his wrestling prowess, leaving with a unanimous 30-27 decision victory.

As far as his next fight goes, Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Aiemann Zahabi are all names you could rightfully throw at Umar. And while this kind of fight usually wouldn’t guarantee someone a rematch against their champion, I believe Nurmagomedov’s name will play a big part in the promotion wanting to throw him in there against Merab again.

Nurmagomedov’s next fight: Title shot

Alexander Volkov

It wasn’t easy, but I think Alexander Volkov has finally punched his ticket to a title shot. He was on the cusp of a title shot when he first came into the promotion, but a Derrick Lewis right hand with 11 seconds to go completely ruined that. He then hovered around the title picture for years, but losses to Curtis Blaydes, Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall prevented him from asserting himself. After defeating four ranked opponents consecutively, three of which via finish, Volkov found himself in another number one contender fight last December, but to the surprise of most fans, he wasn’t awarded the decision against Gane. I don’t care that it was a split decision, nor that it wasn’t the most thrilling affair, this win against Jailton Almeida should cement what this man has been working for ever since joining the UFC.

Volkov’s next fight: Title shot

Azamat Murzakanov

With Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg’s recent wins, the light-heavyweight division seems rejuvenated. So Azamat Murzakanov picked a good time to get the biggest win of his career on stage like this. Yes, Aleksandar Rakic was coming into this matchup on a three-fight losing streak, but all three losses were to former champions, one of which was an injury stoppage. It took Murzakanov just over three minutes to dispatch of Rakic, who has been a staple of the division’s top10 for quite some time. Options won’t be lacking for Murzakanov, who should hope to keep up his recent levels of activity after fighting just once in 2023 and 2024. While Magomed Ankalaev and the winner of the upcoming Blachowicz/Guskov fight would be fine opponents to throw at Murzakanov, I went with Jamahal Hill.

Murzakanov’s next fight: Jamahal Hill

The post What’s Next: UFC 321 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

It won’t be a fight fondly remembered, but Volkov (39-11) was the more active fighter in comparison to foe Jailton Almeida, who while landing multiple takedowns simply didn’t do anything with them.

“Drago” was hoping for a title shot after the fight, though the No Contest in the heavyweight title fight later in the night will dash those hopes. Still, it’s clear he appreciates the type of fight he was in on Saturday.

“If the UFC doesn’t give us a Performance of the Night bonus, I will be upset. It was the best fight ever I think. Today, for sure. So great,” joked Volkov, who these days has done away with his translator, allowing a well-honed sense of humor to shine through.

His comments brought about a small round of applause in the media room. On a more serious note, the towering Russian added that he was happy to have been able to show his jiu-jitsu in the fight. And he recognizes that Almeida came ready to win, if not ready to put everything on the line.

“Out of the joke, he was tough. His takedown was pretty good. He was well-prepared,” stated Volkov. “I know this was a little bit uninteresting, how he took me down again and again. But I tried to give him more punches where ever it was, on the ground, in the stand-up, where ever. I was just feeling like, give him more damage. Like in the first round, I changed it around, I sweep him, give him some big damage on the top. So for sure he had more damage on him. I feel good.”

Aside from a late punch that caused his nose to bleed anyway, added Volkov. Ultimately, the #2-ranked light heavyweight seemed to think Almeida was fighting not to lose, rather than fighting to win.

“He kind of tried to not lose the fight, or not have damage. You can’t go to the octagon with this thought.”

Watch the full UFC 321 post-fight press conference with Alexander Volkov above.

The post Alexander Volkov Reflects on “Best Fight Ever” at UFC 321 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Almeida had come in on a two-fight win streak, while Volkov was looking to bounce back from a controversial loss to Ciryl Gane that many had seen going the other way.

Round 1 – Almeida shot the second after the two touched gloves, getting Volkov down 10 seconds in. Almeida settled in half guard and worked on just controlling Volkov while smothering him with his control. Volkov worked to his side and put Almeida on his hip, eventually overpowering and reversing position.

Almeida did a good job of holding Volkov and giving him little space to work. Volkov postured up and landed some big elbows while trying to pry Almeida off his leg, and the round ended in the awkward position.

Round 2 – The second round saw Volkov get taken down 20 seconds in, with Almeida settling in half guard and being more active on top. After a scramble, he worked to the back and secured a hook on Volkov, leaning over him as he crouched. Volkov was able to roll over and get back in full guard, where the action stalled once again, leading to a standup from Marc Goddard.

Almeida immediately speared Volkov back to the ground once forced up, and fended off a kimura attempt as the round came to a close.

Round 3 – Volkov pressed on the front foot and defended a takedown attempt early, pushing Almeida to the cage. In the clinch, Volkov bombed some knees into the body of Almeida before being taken down once again. The fight once again stalled in full guard, with Volkov tapping him with punches from the bottom. Volkov nearly caught Almeida in a triangle, but the Brazilian was wise to it and avoided the submission. Another back take led nowhere, and another stand-up followed after settling back in full guard. In a shocking turn of events. Almeida shot another takedown and ended the fight on top.

It was a strange fight to score. The damage and activity clearly favored Volkov, but Almeida racked up a lot of control time. The judges sided with the activity and awarded Alexander Volkov a Split Decision win to halt Jailton Almeida’s title hype.

Official Result: Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

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