Is Alexander Volkov the Dark Horse of the Heavyweight Division?

Perennial top 10 contender Alexander Volkov has enjoyed mixed success during his UFC tenure. The former M-1 Global Kickboxing and Bellator Heavyweight champion has added a plethora of marquee names to his already impressive resume, including the likes of Stefan Struve, Fabricio Werdum and most recently Alistair Overeem. However, mixed in with his successes have been some truly damaging losses, most notably to Derrick Lewis at UFC 229 and a 5-round mauling from Curtis Blaydes, so questions have always remained about his potential within a division of killers. 

Volkov's weight has come into focus off the back of his most recent wins. In his loss to Curtis Blaydes, Volkov weighed in at 247 pounds, 14 pounds lighter than his adversary. For a man standing 6'7" tall, dwarfing almost all his heavyweight opponents, it was shocking to see how easily Blaydes was able to rag doll the giant Russian. Now don't get me wrong, Blaydes has elite wrestling and executed the perfect game plan, but 14 completed takedowns is shocking none the less against a fighter the size and stature of Volkov. So what did Volkov do? He adapted.

The Volkov we saw step into the cage at UFC 254 against Walt Harris was the first time we had seen the Russian at his new weight of 264 pounds. Some 20 pounds heavier than his previous bouts, Volkov appeared to land far more devastating and impactful shots, the most notable of which being a stabbing teep kick to the body of Harris which resulted in a TKO finish in the second. This drastic change in weight has appeared to have revitalised the Russian. Fighting closer to his walk-around weight has allowed Volkov to come into fight week far more energised and he also looks to have packed on muscle within that weight gain. 

His TKO victory over Alistair Overeem is yet more evidence of the fresh danger the Russian represents in the Heavyweight division. It is becoming clearer and clearer that Volkov as a technical striker is in a class of his own in the division, due to the variety of strikes he throws. It appears that unless you have an advantage in wrestling over him, you will have a torrid time trying to fight him on the feet. In his 2 round dismantling of Overeem, Volkov landed 54 significant strikes to Overeem's 10, a stark reminder of the proficiency of Volkov's kickboxing skills. 

Should this run of form continue, Volkov may well find himself in a title fight potentially by the beginning of 2022 considering the layout of the division currently. At 32 years old youth is on his side, as there are few fighters below that age, and longevity in that division is higher than others. We will know soon enough the direction Volkov's career will take as we look ahead to the bevy of heavyweight action coming up in the next few months. The logical step for Volkov would be to fight the winner of Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Ciryl Gane. Rozenstruik sits at number 3 in the division and has only lost to Francis Ngannou, so victory for Volkov there would be huge. Equally a win over the undefeated Gane would cement his status as a serious title threat so we will have to wait and see how their bout plays out at the end of the month!

I am predicting a big year for Alexander Volkov which could see his star shine brighter than ever before in what is becoming an increasingly more exciting division by the day!

~ James Eakin

Image credits: [Centre] "After stopping Alistair Overeem at UFC Vegas 18, Alexander Volkov is 'looking to be a champion'", Steven Marrocco. Available at: https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/2/7/22270858/after-stopping-alistair-overeem-at-ufc-vegas-18-alexander-volkov-is-looking-to-be-a-champion [Accessed Feb '21]