Alexander Volkov is hungry to secure his first shot at the UFC heavyweight title and it all starts tomorrow afternoon (Sat., June 26, 2021) at UFC Vegas 30 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Drago” meets undefeated contender Ciryl Gane in the main event.
Volkov, 32, has been a wrecking machine inside of the Octagon of late. The towering Russian contender is coming off back-to-back knockout finishes over Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. In turn, Volkov’s UFC record now stands at 7-2, losing only to top contenders Derrick Lewis by insane comeback and Curtis Blaydes. He has looked better each and every time we’ve seen him, win or lose.
Volkov is looking to capture even more success this weekend against Gane. It’s a tough matchup, but one “Drago” feels prepared to win.
“I worked on some special things just for Ciryl Gane,” Volkov said. “I was looking at a lot of his fights, his videos. I feel like I did my homework really good. We’ll see how it’ll be in the Octagon, but I’m feeling great right now.”
Gane is certainly going to bring some new tricks to the table as well. The undefeated contender has produced a 5-0 record inside of the Octagon since his debut in 2019. With wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos, and Tanner Boser, “Bon Gamin” has displayed some really good striking along the way. Volkov aims to get the better of the exchanges on the feet and prove he’s a more complete fighter all-around.
“(Gane is) really talented,” Volkov said. “He has really good striking skills; one of the best in our division. He’s also good in grappling and wrestling, but I’m feeling like I’m here to win. I’m feeling like it’s really a good fight for me, and I just want to show everybody that I am better in everything.”
If Volkov is able to hand Gane his first professional loss then it may very well lead to a UFC title shot. Jon Jones and Derrick Lewis certainly have the inside track for a future matchup with current champion Francis Ngannou, but “Drago” would position himself close to the top with a win this weekend.
“We will see how it will be,” Volkov said. “I don’t want to look (past him), but I am ready for the title fight. I am thinking about it every day, but for now, I have to fight with Ciryl Gane and show the best performance that I can.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 30 fight card HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 4 p.m. ET.