Alexander Volkov earned a unanimous decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333, held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 24, 2026. Following his win, Volkov publicly called for a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
The heavyweight contest saw Volkov control the action, ultimately securing the win with judges' scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27. Throughout the three-round bout, Volkov effectively utilized his significant reach advantage, working at range with a consistent jab and various kicks. In the third round, he intensified his attack, attempting rear-naked chokes. After the official decision was announced, Volkov addressed UFC President Dana White, expressing his desire for a heavyweight title shot, according to Yahoo Sports.
Volkov's Ascent in the Heavyweight Division
Alexander Volkov, standing at 6 feet 7 inches with an 80-inch reach, entered this fight as the official UFC Heavyweight #2 contender. Before this contest, the orthodox fighter had compiled a UFC record of 14 wins and 5 losses across 19 UFC fights. He was on a one-fight UFC win streak, having last competed in May 2026 at UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland, where he defeated Waldo Cortes Acosta by unanimous decision. In that bout, the pre-fight market had Volkov at a 56% chance to win. Prior to that, in October 2025 at UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane, he secured a split decision victory over Jailton Almeida. His only loss in his last five outings before this fight came in December 2024 at UFC 310: Pantoja vs. Asakura, where he dropped a split decision to Ciryl Gane. Volkov, who was 37 years old at his last fight before facing Kuniev, has demonstrated solid defensive grappling, boasting a 77% takedown defense rate before this fight, alongside an average of 0.6 takedowns per fight with 61% accuracy.
Kuniev's Journey to the Top 10
Rizvan Kuniev, 34 years old at his last fight before UFC 333, came into this bout as the official UFC Heavyweight #7 contender. The 6-foot-4-inch orthodox fighter, with a 76-inch reach, held a UFC record of 2 wins and 1 loss over 3 UFC fights before this event. He was also on a one-fight UFC win streak, having most recently fought in July 2026 at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov, where he defeated Tyrell Fortune by KO/TKO in the third round. The pre-fight market for that contest had Kuniev as a significant favorite, with a 97% chance to win. In February 2026, at UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs. Oliveira, Kuniev secured a unanimous decision victory over Jailton Almeida, a fight where the pre-fight market had him at a 38% chance to win. His sole UFC loss before facing Volkov was a split decision to Curtis Blaydes in June 2025 at UFC Fight Night: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. Kuniev's takedown defense before this fight stood at an impressive 93%, though he had not recorded any takedowns per fight in his UFC career prior to this contest.
By the numbers
| Fighter | UFC record | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Volkov | 14-5-0 | Heavyweight #2 |
| Rizvan Kuniev | 2-1-0 | Heavyweight #7 |
UFC records count UFC fights only. Records and rankings from UFC Stats and ufc.com.
Follow bjjmetrics.com/ufc for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment