Alexander Volkov is targeting a run at the UFC title in 2020, but to do so he knows he will have to go through some of the other top contenders in the division, including former champion Daniel Cormier and Curtis Blaydes.
Volkov has been near-perfect since debuting with the UFC in November 2016, including a particularly impressive knockout of former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, with just a sole defeat to Derrick Lewis (in a fight he was dominating) on his record.
His last performance was a dominant unanimous decision victory against controversial NFL-player-turned-fighter Greg Hardy but, as impressive as the Russian looked in that performance, a win over the still-raw Hardy wouldn’t have boosted his title credentials.
Volkov now needs a bigger name victim in his next outing, and few are bigger than those of former UFC “champ champ” Daniel Cormier, or surging contender Curtis Blaydes, both of whom were called out by “Drago” on social media.
“Dear friends,” Volkov wrote, via translation. “Just like you, I am waiting to hear the name of my next opponent as well as the date.
“For some reason UFC strikers aren’t very interested in fighting me. Maybe Blaydes or Cormier can test my wrestling skills then?”
Despite his callout, a fight with Cormier appears unlikely with the former champ stating he will only accept a rematch with current champion Stipe Miocic for his next matchup. Cormier turns 41 in a matter of weeks, and previously said that he doesn’t want to fight past his 40th birthday.
“I have offered him other fights,” UFC boss Dana White said of Cormier earlier this month.
“[But] he feels Stipe is the fight he can get up for. That’s what he wants. And he doesn’t want anyone else. I can’t make him fight anyone else. He needs to do it. I’d like to see that fight happen.
“[Miocic] is hurt. When he’s not, we’ll make the fight. You saw Cormier basically come out and say, ‘Stipe has the ability to retire me. If he doesn’t take this fight, I’m going to retire.’ We’ll see how this thing plays out.”
Blaydes, meanwhile, is the third-ranked UFC heavyweight contender (four places higher than Volkov) and has quietly amassed a very respectable fight record.
A pair of defeats to human wrecking ball Francis Ngannou are the only blemishes on a record that has seen him emerge as a serious contender in his own right, particularly following his second-round TKO victory against former champion Junior Dos Santos a month ago.
Volkov, who holds 20 knockouts among his 31 wins, seems intent on testing his wrestling in his next fight and Blaydes would certainly provide that.
The American also has a very efficient record of finishing fights by strikes (10 of his 13 wins are by knockout) which says, on paper at least, that any fight between Volkov and Blaydes would be a big test for both men.
As they say, styles make fights, and all the ingredients are there for an enthralling heavyweight encounter, but which of the two men will enhance their chances of a title shot and who will be forced to the back of the queue?
