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Alexander Volkov UFC

UFC heavyweight contender analyzed a potential future fight against Alex Pereira, who is moving up to the weight class next month.

Volkov defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision in the featured bout on the UFC 328 main card. Despite Volkov earning the decision on all three judges’ scorecards, UFC president Dana White admitted in the post-fight press conference that he felt Cortes-Acosta should have been the winner. Either way, Volkov got his hand raised, and he maintained his spot as the No. 2 contender in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

With two wins in a row and six wins in his last seven fights, Volkov is very close to earning his first UFC heavyweight title shot. However, he first has to wait and see what the outcome is next month at UFC Freedom 250, when Pereira moves up to heavyweight for the first time and battles Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. While UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is slated to return later this year and take on the winner, he still hasn’t been cleared from an eye injury just yet, so Volkov could potentially fight the winner of Pereira vs. Gane if Aspinall is not ready to return yet.

Alexander Volkov Breaks Down Alex Pereira Fight

Speaking to reporters following UFC 328, Volkov was asked what a fight between him and Pereira would look like, and he told the media that he thinks it would be a very intriguing matchup.

“I see him very interesting as a kickboxer, so for me, it will be very interesting to meet him. It would be a real martial arts fight. He did a lot of (impressive) performances. He’s not just a power puncher, he has specific techniques. It’s very interesting. For me, it’s interesting to one day fight with him or maybe train, meet with with him in the gym. He did a lot of job. I respect him a lot,” Volkov said. “He’s just not a heavyweight right now, I feel, but he can do this at heavyweight, so we will see.”

When asked if this fight between two strikers would involve grappling, Volkov surprisingly admitted he would try to grapple with Pereira, which would actually be the best way to approach Pereira, given his insane KO power.

“Of course,” Volkov said when asked if grappling would be involved in this fight between two primary strikers.

Alexander Volkov is an Underrated Heavyweight Great

Volkov first joined the UFC in 2016, and since then, he has racked up 14-5 record in 19 UFC fights. A former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion, the 37-year-old Russian holds notable wins over Jailton Almeida, Sergei Pavlovich, Tai Tuivasa, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, and Roy Nelson, among others. He has fought the best of the best in the heavyweight division ever since he joined the UFC a decade ago, and he continues to get better as he gets into his late 30s.

We will see what happens at UFC Freedom 250 between Pereira and Gane, but win or lose, a future fight between Volkov and Pereira could very well happen, and if it does, the fans would surely be the winners, as this is a fantastic fight on paper between two heavy-handed strikers.