The UFC 293 tournament in Sydney, Australia was originally created for one man: middleweight champion Israel Odeva. Otherwise, to the average mixed martial arts fan, the card looked mediocre. The exception is the meeting between typical heavyweights: Russian Alexander Volkov and local fighter Tai Tuivasa.
Volkov, also known under the pseudonym Draga, once again found himself close to the fight of contenders. Previously, in a similar situation, he suffered defeats due to the status of Cortez Bredis and Tom Raspinal. And now he was on a two-win streak, taking seventh place in the standings. It is noteworthy that the victories over Rozenstruik and Romanov were achieved in the middle of the first rounds.
Tuivasa has the opposite image. He is in decline, two losses in a row, the last of which was against another Russian, Sergei Pavlovich, who gets along well with Volkov. Probably, the second number in the division gave some advice to Alexander, urging him to repeat what he did. He knocks out the chubby Aussie. Which, by the way, he was one line higher in the ranking.
Alexander this time was not chasing a quick shot, but preferred to act with restraint and concentrate on counterattacks. Taking into account that the Australian’s hammer and low kicks are in his technical arsenal. The Russian also had long arms at his sides, which already broke Tai’s nose halfway through the first round. The Russian hero skillfully acted tactically, pushing forward with body blows; Tuivasa slowed down quite quickly. And at the end of the initial five minutes he barely survived: the gong saved him from Alexander’s blows.
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In the second round the situation did not change, things only got worse for Ty. He was shaken a few times, so the wrestlers ended up on the ground. The first time they stood up, and then Alexander showed that he should not be considered a pure drummer. Tuivasa experienced firsthand what it was like to strangle Ezekiel. It is not the most frequent reception in the UFC, whose ambassador is considered another Russian: Alexey Oleynik. Volkov mentioned it in an interview.
A Russian “killed” an Australian. The statistics of blows to the head are indicative: 105 against 5. It is noteworthy that Alexander won for the first time with a choke in the UFC. And this is the first time in his career since 2016.
“I didn’t expect such a tough fight. He’s very tough, he took a lot of hits and still stayed on his feet, throwing those hard low kicks. You have to give the guy credit, he gave it his all,” Alexander said in a post-match interview.
What’s next for Volkov? A very difficult question for a UFC heavyweight. At least, the Russian will rise one place in the ranking, and higher up will be the fighters to whom he once lost: Gan, Aspinall, Blaydes. Stipe Miocic will likely announce his retirement in the fall. In this case, the Russian will already be among the top 5. And he has a three-fight winning streak to his name, only Pavlovich has a better record.
A rematch with anyone will be difficult to avoid. And Alejandro himself will be glad for this opportunity.
“It’s too early to rule me out.” Volkov talks about upcoming fight with Tuivasa
