“This is our best chance to win.” Tuivasa has knockout power and Volkov can’t handle it
September 9, 2023, 20:15 Moscow time. Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
We explain why Bam-Bam will become a big problem for the Russians.
On the night of September 10, the UFC 293 tournament will be held in Australia, in whose co-main event the local favorite Tai Tuivasa and the Russian Alexander Volkov will face each other. For our compatriot, this is another attempt to get closer to title chances, but his opponent is far from that simple.
Tuivasa is one of those guys you always have to watch out for. Simply because the Australian has a lot of knockout power in his hands. Ty has 14 career wins from him and has done it 13 times by knockout. And of five losses, four were by knockout. That is, this is a “kill or be killed” fighter.
Of course, Volkov will be the favorite. He’s just bigger, in theory he’ll have an easier time reaching his opponent due to the longer length of his levers, and Drago has basic wrestling skills. Overall, Alexander seems like a more balanced MMA fighter. The Russian himself understands perfectly that the ground game can save him in a pinch: “Obviously he is dangerous because of his hitting. This cannot be ignored, it is not easy for anyone to face an explosive opponent and that he has a good shot. He will be dangerous from the first second of the fight until the end. However, I have many more techniques in my arsenal and we will try to use them. It will feel safer at close range, but I have more fighting skills here. If he gets too close to me, I’ll let him. We will resolve it. “I have confidence in myself in any situation.”
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Tuivasa doesn’t really fight at all. He has never been able to pull off a takedown, his element is the direct and uncompromising cut. On average, he hits 4.10 point punches per minute and misses 4.46. By the way, he still has protection against wrestling, contrary to expectations: Tai stopped 52% of attempts to knock him to the ground. The Australian is under no illusions and admits that Volkov’s height could aggravate his problems, but at the same time draws a parallel with the Russian’s fight against Derrick Lewis. There, the American knocked out Alexander, Tai believes that he is capable of repeating: “I remember watching this fight a long time ago. Volkov fought very well and then lost. Really, my best chance to beat him is to punch him in the face and hopefully knock him out.”
It seems that Tuivase is comfortable in the underdog role, and those fighters are the most dangerous. With the public he simply has nothing to lose, he will look for the knockout and will do everything possible to put on a show. By the way, the Australian himself not so long ago knocked out Lewis, with whom Volkov could not cope.
The big question is how fast Alexander will be. Yes, in the last fight he dominated Romanov, but here there will be a guy with completely different skills and a different level. For a second, Tuivasa knocked down Cyril Gan, considered a very fast heavyweight with great footwork. This didn’t stop Ty, he found a way to land a strong blow on him and if he had had a little more luck, he could have knocked him out. There is no certainty that Volkov is fast enough to avoid exchanges and therefore blows. And in a fight like this, Tuivasa will have more chances.
Another problem with the Russian is his poor ability to use his dimensions. Jon Jones shared his forecast for this fight not long ago and emphasized Alexander’s problems: “I bet on Tuivasa. I watched as Volkov lost to guys much shorter than him. He doesn’t use his length as well as he could. I think Ty will get to him.”
Tuivasa has already fought the great Stefan Struve, who is even 13 centimeters taller than Volkov. In this fight, the Australian did not allow his opponent to last even one round. So Ty has a very good chance to beat Volkov and he will do everything he can to take advantage of them.
