In a battle for heavyweight contendership, it was No. 7 Alexander Volkov who took a big step forward with a third-round TKO win over No. 8 Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night 115 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The first round set the tone for an action fight between the towering heavyweights. The 7'0" Struve and the 6'7" Volkov took to teeing off on one another in the striking game. Struve got the better end of some of the boxing exchanges; however, Volkov came on strong with a takedown and ground-and-pound at the end of the first frame.
Josh Gross of The Guardian summed up the action in the first stanza:
Josh GrossStrong opening round.