Alexander Volkov

Alexander Yevgenyevich Volkov (;

Mixed martial arts career M-1 Global In 2008 Volkov signed with M-1 Global. His professional MMA debut came in April 2009 when he defeated Nikolay Pleshakov by TKO in just 80 seconds. Volkov followed this up a month later with another TKO victory, this time against Adam Alikhanov in just 20 seconds. A further month later, Volkov suffered his first professional loss at the hands of Akhmed Sultanov. Midway through the first round, Volkov was forced to tap to an armbar. Volkov then went on a two-fight win streak, both via TKO. Volkov was awarded an M-1 Global ring "as a reward for exceptional performance".

Post M-1 Eastern European Tournament Less than a month later, Volkov took his first fight outside of M-1 in nearly a year. His opponent was the debuting Eldar Yagudin, who he defeated inside the opening round by TKO (punches). In the semifinals at Bellator 80, he faced Vinicius Queiroz and won via TKO in the second round. On December 14, Volkov fought Richard Hale in a 5-round fight for Bellator Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament Final and Bellator Heavyweight Championship. Volkov won via unanimous decision.

In his first title defense, Volkov faced Vitaly Minakov in the co-main event at Bellator 108 on November 15, 2013. He lost the bout and his title via TKO in the first round.

Volkov faced Mark Holata on March 7, 2014, at Bellator 111 in Heavyweight Tournament. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Volkov faced Mighty Mo in the semifinals at Bellator 116 on April 11, 2014. He won the fight via spectacular knockout in the first round.

Volkov faced Blagoy Ivanov in the finals on May 17, 2014, at Bellator 120. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Nearly a year since his last fight for the promotion, Volkov faced Tony Johnson at Bellator 136 on April 10, 2015. He lost the fight via split decision.

Volkov faced Cheick Kongo at Bellator 139 on June 26, 2015. He lost the fight via unanimous decision marking his second consecutive loss being cut by the Bellator MMA.

Ultimate Fighting Championship In September 2016, it was announced that Volkov has signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his debut against Timothy Johnson on November 19, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 99. Volkov was awarded a controversial split decision victory. 12 out of 12 media scores gave the bout to Johnson.

Volkov faced Roy Nelson on April 15, 2017, at UFC on Fox 24. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Volkov faced Stefan Struve on September 2, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve. He won the bout via TKO in the third round. The win also earned Volkov his first Fight of the Night bonus award.

Volkov faced Fabrício Werdum on March 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 127. He won the back-and-forth fight via knockout in the fourth round. The win also earned Volkov his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Volkov weighed in at UFC 226 on July 6, 2018, serving as the backup for the heavyweight title bout between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier.

Volkov faced Derrick Lewis on October 6, 2018, at UFC 229. Volkov dominated the fight, hurting Lewis multiple times, but ultimately lost the fight via knockout late in round three.

Volkov was expected to face Alistair Overeem on April 20, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 149. However, on April 3, 2019, it was reported Volkov pulled out from the fight for undisclosed reason.

Volkov was scheduled to face Junior Dos Santos on November 9, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 21. However, dos Santos was forced to pull out from the event due to contracting a serious bacterial infection, and he was replaced by Greg Hardy. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Volkov faced Curtis Blaydes on June 20, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov. Volkov lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Volkov faced Walt Harris on October 24, 2020 at UFC 254. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.

Volkov faced Alistair Overeem on February 6, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 184. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Volkov faced Ciryl Gane on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 190. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Volkov faced Marcin Tybura on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Volkov faced Tom Aspinall on March 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204. Volkov lost the fight via straight armbar submission in round one.

Volkov faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Volkov faced Alexander Romanov on March 11, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 221. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Volkov faced Tai Tuivasa on September 10, 2023, at UFC 293. He won the fight with Ezekiel Choke in the second round. With this win, Volkov became the second person in UFC history to finish a fight with an Ezekiel Choke.

Volkov faced Sergei Pavlovich on June 22, 2024, at UFC on ABC 6. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Volkov was scheduled to face former interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane in a rematch on October 26, 2024, at UFC 308. However, due to Volkov's knee injury, the bout was moved and took place on December 7, 2024, at UFC 310. Volkov lost the close fight by a controversial, split decision. 19 out of 20 media outlets scored the bout for Volkov. UFC CEO Dana White apologized to Volkov after the bout saying he thought Volkov had won the bout and the head of the commission explained to White what was thought to be the reasoning of the judges' scorecards. Volkov voiced his frustration about one of the judges, Adalaide Byrd, who has had a history of questionable scorecards in both MMA and boxing.

Volkov faced Jailton Almeida on October 25, 2025, at UFC 321. He won the fight by split decision.

Volkov faced Waldo Cortes-Acosta on May 9, 2026, at UFC 328. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Volkov is scheduled to face Rizvan Kuniev on October 24, 2026 at UFC 333.

Fighting style

Volkov is primarily a standup striker. He utilizes his big height, long reach, and powerful kicks to deliver accurate strikes from a distance. In particular, he is known for his patient and technical boxing as well as his punishing body kicks, which he utilized at UFC 254 in his knockout victory against Walt Harris.

Championships and accomplishments Bellator Fighting Championships Bellator Heavyweight World Championship (One time) Bellator Season Ten Heavyweight Tournament Championship Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament Championship M-1 Global M-1 Global Heavyweight Championship (One time) One successful title defence M-1 Eastern European Tournament Runner-Up Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (One time) Third most total strikes landed in UFC Heavyweight division history (1672) MMA Fighting 2023 Third Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record Win

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Decision (unanimous) UFC 328

Newark, New Jersey, United States Win

Jailton Almeida Decision (split) UFC 321

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss

Ciryl Gane Decision (split) UFC 310

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Sergei Pavlovich Decision (unanimous) UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Win

Tai Tuivasa Submission (Ezekiel choke) UFC 293

Sydney, Australia Win

Alexander Romanov TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Jairzinho Rozenstruik TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Tom Aspinall Submission (straight armbar) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall

London, England Win

Marcin Tybura Decision (unanimous) UFC 267

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss

Ciryl Gane Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Alistair Overeem TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Walt Harris TKO (body kick and punches) UFC 254

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss

Curtis Blaydes Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Greg Hardy Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar

Moscow, Russia Loss

Derrick Lewis KO (punches) UFC 229

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Fabrício Werdum KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov

London, England Win

Stefan Struve TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve

Rotterdam, Netherlands Win

Roy Nelson Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Timothy Johnson Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2

Belfast, Northern Ireland Win

Attila Végh KO (punches) M-1 Challenge 68

Moscow, Russia Win

Denis Smoldarev Submission (triangle choke) M-1 Challenge 64

Moscow, Russia Loss

Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 139

Mulvane, Kansas, United States Loss

Tony Johnson Decision (split) Bellator 136

Irvine, California, United States Win

Alexei Kudin Decision (unanimous) Union MMA Pro 2015

Krasnodar, Russia Win

Roy Boughton TKO (punches) Tech-KREP FC: Battle of Heroes

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Blagoy Ivanov Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 120

Southaven, Mississippi, United States Win

Mighty Mo KO (head kick) Bellator 116

Temecula, California, United States Win

Mark Holata TKO (punches) Bellator 111

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Loss

Vitaly Minakov TKO (punches) Bellator 108

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Rich Hale Decision (unanimous) Bellator 84

Hammond, Indiana, United States Win

Vinicius Queiroz TKO (punches) Bellator 80

Hollywood, Florida, United States Win

Brett Rogers Decision (unanimous) Bellator 75

Hammond, Indiana, United States Win

Stefan Stankovic TKO (punches) MFP: Mayor Cup 2012

Khabarovsk, Russia Win

Ricco Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) BF: Baltic Challenge 3

Kaliningrad, Russia Win

Arsen Abdulkerimov TKO (punches) M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson

Moscow, Russia Win

Bahodir Ibrogimov TKO (punches) MMA Corona Cup 1

Moscow, Russia Win

Nedyalko Karadzhov TKO (punches) League S-70: Russia vs. Brazil

Sochi, Russia Win

Denis Goltsov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge 25

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Ruslan Chapko TKO (punches) Voronezh Interregional 2011

Voronezh, Russia Loss

Pat Bennett Decision (unanimous) M-1 Challenge 22

Moscow, Russia Win

Evgeni Babich TKO (punches) LM: Tournament 3

Lipetsk, Russia Win

Eldar Yagudin TKO (punches) Ratnoe Pole: The First Battlefield

Ryazan, Russia Loss

Maxim Grishin Submission (rear-naked choke) M-1 Selection: 2010 Eastern Europe Finals

Moscow, Russia Win

Alexander Romaschenko Submission (rear-naked choke) M-1 Selection: 2010 Eastern Europe Round 3

Kyiv, Ukraine Win

Vitalii Yalovenko TKO (doctor stoppage) M-1 Selection: 2010 Eastern Europe Round 2

Kyiv, Ukraine Win

Ibragim Magomedov Decision (unanimous) M-1 Challenge 20: 2009 Finals

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Smbat Zakaryan TKO (punches) ProFC: Union Nation Cup 3

Rostov-on-Don, Russia Win

Abdulhalik Magomedov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 8

Moscow, Russia Loss

Akhmed Sultanov Submission (armbar) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 4

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Adam Alikhanov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 3

Saint Petersburg, Russia Win

Nikolay Pleshakov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 2

Saint Petersburg, Russia