He’s been M-1 Challenge heavyweight champ, Bellator MMA’s too. Now, after a fourth-round knockout of former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC Fight Night 127, Alexander Volkov is coming for the Octagon’s heavyweight prize, too.
Saturday inside London’s O2 Arena, the 29-year-old Volkov (30-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) outlasted and outwitted Werdum (23-8-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC), the best grappler in heavyweight MMA history, thwarting his ground game to punch him out at 98 seconds into the penultimate round. The bout was not just a testament to strategy, but also a clear depiction of the extent to which fighters can actualize improvements in their abilities and execution.