Highlights! Blaydes Sets Heavyweight Takedown Record, Batters Volkov

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Curtis Blaydes dominated Alexander Volkov last night (Sat., June 20, 2020) at UFC on ESPN 11 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, to earn his fourth-straight win in the UFC’s heavyweight division and put himself one step closer to a title shot.

Blaydes scored big takedowns along the cage the entire first round while landing short punches to the face to score the points he wanted. Every time Volkov returned to his feet Blaydes was there to take him back down and control the fight. It wasn’t event close.

The second round saw Blaydes get really loose on the feet and land heavy punches from the outside. The taller Volkov ate them well, but “Razor” eventually sliced his way in for another takedown. Blaydes kept busy with consistent ground-and-pound as Volkov looked like he was timing a submission attempt. It never came, which allowed Blaydes to really pull ahead on the scorecards with vicious elbows.

Blaydes kept things rolling in the third round as he peppered Volkov with shots on the feet before bringing the main event back to the canvas. Volkov had no answer for the attack and really started to tire. The fourth round was historic as Blaydes set the new UFC heavyweight record for most takedowns in a fight, earning his 12th mid-way through the frame (he would end up with a total of 14). Volkov did start to regain some momentum towards the end of the frame as Blaydes showed signs of slowing down, even landing a big knee.

In the fifth and final frame, Blaydes had to keep his takedown game strong as Volkov was starting to find his groove on the feet. “Drago” tried to muscle his way back to the standup, but a tiring Blaydes needed to keep the action grounded to secure is decision, and he did.

Check out the video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

For complete UFC on ESPN 11 results and coverage click here.