Alexander Volkov enters UFC 321 with redemption in mind. Just months removed from a high-profile loss to Ciryl Gane, the Russian heavyweight now faces the rising Jailton Almeida in a pivotal bout that could determine who stays alive in the title picture. In a rapidly evolving division, Volkov starts Saturday with urgency and a clear mission to prove he still belongs among the elite
Volkov (38-11) comes off a controversial split-decision loss at UFC 310 last December, an outcome that many fans, media members and even UFC CEO Dana White felt should have gone his way.
“I’m not worried about this. Sometimes it happens in UFC like in Octagon. I was a little upset,” Volkov told reporters, including Cageside Press, on Wednesday.
“First day or two, but then I got over it. I’m just working on my own skills (and) just trying to figure out what I can do better in my game. Just start training again. I just got it really easy. No problem.”
Volkov admitted that a rematch with Tom Aspinall was never seriously on the table, despite the closeness of his last appearance. Instead, the UFC quickly shifted its path to the rising Brazilian contender. According to Volkov, the decision was made almost immediately after UFC 310.
“They (confirmed) the fight with Tom and Gane first. So yeah, we just started talking about my next opponent, Almeida, very shortly after my last fight. We didn’t talk about fighting Tom,” Volkov said.
Watch the entire media day scrum with Alexander Volkov above. He will face Jailton Almeida at UFC 321 on Saturday.
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