Alexander Volkov (fighter)

Alexander Volkov
Alexander Volkov in 2016
Born (1988-10-24) October 24, 1988
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Other names Drago
Sasha
Nationality Russian
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight 251 lb (114 kg; 17.9 st)
Division Heavyweight
Reach 81 in (206 cm)
Style Karate, Kickboxing
Fighting out of Moscow, Russia
Team Strela Team
Rank Black belt in Tsu Shin Gen[1]
Brown belt in Kyokushin Karate[1]
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active 2009–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total 37
Wins 30
By knockout 20
By submission 3
By decision 7
Losses 7
By knockout 2
By submission 2
By decision 3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Alexander Yevgenievich Volkov (Russian: Александр Евгеньевич Волков; born October 24, 1988) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC's Heavyweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Volkov previously competed almost exclusively for the M-1 Global promotion, as well as Bellator MMA. He is a former heavyweight champion in both promotions. As of July 26, 2018, he is #5 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings.[2]

Personal life

Volkov graduated from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University in 2011 with a degree in engineering.

Mixed martial arts career

M-1 Global

In 2008 Volkov signed with the M-1 Global. His professional MMA debut came in April 2009 when he defeated Nikolay Pleshakov by TKO (punches) in just 80 seconds.[3] Volkov followed this up a month later with another TKO victory, this time against Adam Alikhanov in just 20 seconds.[4] 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.[4]

In December 2009, after just eight months as a professional fighter,[4] Volkov faced Ibragim Magomedov at M-1 Challenge 20 - 2009 Finals. Coming in as an underdog, his team simply wanted him to make it through all three rounds, but Volkov exceeded expectations by winning via unanimous decision.[5] Volkov was awarded an M-1 Global ring "as a reward for exceptional performance".[5]

Volkov faced Denis Smoldarev on February 19, 2016 M-1 Challenge 64 for the vacant M-1 Global Heavyweight title, he won the fight via submission (triangle choke).

Volkov faced former Bellator light heavyweight champion Attila Végh on June 16, 2016 at M-1 Challenge 68. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This and other fights of Alexander Volkov in the M-1 league can be viewed in the All fights of Alexander Volkov in M-1 Global of the M-1 Global TV channel.

M-1 Eastern European Tournament

Within his first year of professional competition, Volkov was competing in the M-1 Eastern European tournament,[5] taking victories in the opening round and the semi-final.[4] Volkov progressed to the M-1 Selection 2010 - Eastern Europe Finals, where a win would put him in line to challenge for the M-1 Global Heavyweight title at the 2010 M-1 Challenge Season events. To reach the championship fight, Volkov first had to take on Maxim Grishin to become the Eastern Europe champion. Unfortunately for Volkov, he fell prey to a rear naked choke early in the opening round and was eliminated.[6]

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).[4]

On August 5, 2011, as part of League-70 Russia vs Brazil, held in Sochi, Russia, Alexander Volkov defeated the undefeated at that time Bulgarian Nedyalko Karadzhov via TKO in the opening round.

Bellator MMA

In September 2012, it was announced that Volkov would compete for Bellator Fighting Championships. He made his U.S. debut in the Bellator season seven heavyweight tournament. In the opening, quarter-final round he faced Brett Rogers at Bellator 75. Volkov dominated the fight by making the most of his reach advantage. Volkov won via unanimous decision.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] He lost the fight via split decision.

Volkov faced Cheick Kongo at Bellator 139 on June 26, 2015.[10] He lost the fight via unanimous decision marking his second consecutive loss being cut by the Bellator MMA.[11]

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.[12] Volkov was awarded a split decision victory.[13]

Volkov faced Roy Nelson on April 15, 2017 at UFC on Fox 24.[14] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[15]

Volkov faced Stefan Struve on September 2, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve.[16] He won the bout via TKO in the third round.[17] The win also earned Volkov his first Fight of the Night bonus award.[18]

Volkov faced Fabrício Werdum on March 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127.[19] He won the back-and-forth fight via knockout in the fourth round.[20] The win also earned Volkov his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[21]

Volkov faced Derrick Lewis on October 6, 2018 at UFC 229.[22] After being ahead on the judges' scorecards and visibly hurting Lewis multiple times, he was knocked down and subsequently finished with follow up punches in the closing seconds of the bout.[23]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 30–7 Derrick Lewis KO (punches) UFC 229 October 6, 2018 3 4:49 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 30–6 Fabrício Werdum KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov March 17, 2018 4 1:38 London, England Performance of the Night.
Win 29–6 Stefan Struve TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve September 2, 2017 3 3:30 Rotterdam, Netherlands Fight of the Night.
Win 28–6 Roy Nelson Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis April 15, 2017 3 5:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win 27–6 Timothy Johnson Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 November 19, 2016 3 5:00 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 26–6 Attila Végh KO (punches) M-1 Challenge 68 June 16, 2016 1 2:38 Moscow, Russia Defended the M-1 Global Heavyweight Championship.
Win 25–6 Denis Smoldarev Submission (triangle choke) M-1 Challenge 64 February 19, 2016 3 0:41 Moscow, Russia Won the M-1 Global Heavyweight Championship.
Loss 24–6 Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) Bellator 139 June 26, 2015 3 5:00 Mulvane, Kansas, United States
Loss 24–5 Tony Johnson Decision (split) Bellator 136 April 10, 2015 3 5:00 Irvine, California, United States
Win 24–4 Alexei Kudin Decision (unanimous) Union MMA Pro February 21, 2015 3 5:00 Krasnodar, Russia
Win 23–4 Roy Boughton TKO (punches) Tech-Krep FC: Battle of Heroes December 12, 2014 1 0:40 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Win 22–4 Blagoy Ivanov Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 120 May 17, 2014 2 1:08 Southaven, Mississippi, United States Bellator Season 10 Heavyweight Tournament Final.
Win 21–4 Mighty Mo KO (head kick) Bellator 116 April 11, 2014 1 2:44 Temecula, California, United States Bellator Season 10 Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 20–4 Mark Holata TKO (punches) Bellator 111 March 7, 2014 1 1:21 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Bellator Season 10 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Loss 19–4 Vitaly Minakov TKO (punches) Bellator 108 November 15, 2013 1 2:57 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Lost the Bellator Heavyweight World Championship.
Win 19–3 Richard Hale Decision (unanimous) Bellator 84 December 14, 2012 5 5:00 Hammond, Indiana, United States Won the vacant Bellator Heavyweight World Championship; Bellator Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament Final.
Win 18–3 Vinicius Queiroz TKO (punches) Bellator 80 November 9, 2012 2 4:59 Hollywood, Florida, United States Bellator Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 17–3 Brett Rogers Decision (unanimous) Bellator 75 October 5, 2012 3 5:00 Hammond, Indiana, United States Bellator Season 7 Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Win 16–3 Stefan Stankovic TKO (punches) FEFoMP: Mayor Cup 2012 May 26, 2012 1 4:27 Khabarovsk, Russia
Win 15–3 Ricco Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) BF: Baltic Challenge 3 February 23, 2012 3 5:00 Kaliningrad, Russia
Win 14–3 Arsen Abdulkerimov TKO (punches) M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson November 20, 2011 1 0:26 Moscow, Russia
Win 13–3 Bahodir Ibrogimov TKO (punches) MMA Corona Cup 1 October 7, 2011 2 2:22 Moscow, Russia
Win 12–3 Nedyalko Karadzhov TKO (punches) League-70: Russia vs. Brazil August 5, 2011 1 2:41 Sochi, Russia
Win 11–3 Denis Goltsov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge 25: Zavurov vs. Enomoto April 28, 2011 2 3:05 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Win 10–3 Ruslan Chapko TKO (punches) Mix Fight Tournament January 15, 2011 1 N/A Voronezh, Russia
Loss 9–3 Pat Bennett Decision (unanimous) M-1 Challenge 22: Narkun vs. Vasilevsky December 10, 2010 4 5:00 Moscow, Russia
Win 9–2 Evgeni Babich TKO (punches) LM: Tournament 3 September 18, 2010 1 2:10 Lipetsk, Russia
Win 8–2 Eldar Yagudin TKO (punches) Ratnoe Pole August 7, 2010 1 4:34 Ryazan, Russia
Loss 7–2 Maxim Grishin Submission (rear-naked choke) M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Finals July 22, 2010 1 2:39 Moscow, Russia Eastern Europe Tournament Final.
Win 7–1 Alexander Romaschenko Submission (rear-naked choke) M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Round 3 May 28, 2010 1 2:59 Kiev, Ukraine Eastern Europe Tournament Semifinal.
Win 6–1 Vitalii Yalovenko TKO (doctor stoppage) M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Round 2 April 10, 2010 2 1:05 Kiev, Ukraine Eastern Europe Tournament Opening Round.
Win 5–1 Ibragim Magomedov Decision (unanimous) M-1 Challenge 20: 2009 Finals December 3, 2009 3 5:00 Saint Petersburg, Russia Russian Team Championship Finals.
Win 4–1 Smbat Zakaryan TKO (punches) ProFC: Union Nation Cup 3 October 30, 2009 1 4:20 Rostov-on-Don, Russia 3rd Stage Of The CIS Cup Team.
Win 3–1 Abdulhalik Magomedov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 8 October 4, 2009 1 4:43 Moscow, Russia 8th Stage Russian Team Championship.
Loss 2–1 Akhmed Sultanov Submission (armbar) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 4 June 24, 2009 1 2:50 Saint Petersburg, Russia 4th Stage Russian Team Championship.
Win 2–0 Adam Alikhanov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 3 May 28, 2009 1 0:20 Saint Petersburg, Russia 3rd Stage Russian Team Championship.
Win 1–0 Nikolay Pleshakov TKO (punches) M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 2 April 19, 2009 1 1:20 Saint Petersburg, Russia 2nd Stage Russian Team Championship.

The record box is based on Volkov's record on Sherdog.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Alexander Volkov - Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Fighter Rankings | UFC ®". UFC. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  3. ↑ "Sunday's M-1 card to stream on Sherdog.com". sherdog.com. April 18, 2009. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Alexander Volkov". sherdog.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Schaap, J. (March 3, 2010). "The biggest Russian sensation of 2009 gets his reward". m-1global.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  6. ↑ "M-1 Selection 2010 Europe Finals feature spectacular performances". sherdog.com. July 22, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Bizarre groin foul finish puts Thiago Santos past Eric Prindle at Bellator 75". sherdog.com. October 5, 2012.
  8. ↑ "former Russian champion vs. super american mma fighter". mmafighting.com. March 6, 2014.
  9. ↑ Jason Floyd (March 11, 2015). "Bellator 136 adds Alexander Volkov vs. Tony Johnson and Fabricio Guerreiro vs. John Teixeira". themmareport.com.
  10. ↑ Chuck Mindenhall (April 21, 2015). "Cheick Kongo to clash with Alexander Volkov at Bellator 139". mmafighting.com.
  11. ↑ "Bellator releases five fighters, including former champion". bloodyelbow.com. October 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ Staff (2016-09-29). "-Ex-Bellator champ Alexander Volkov debuts with promotion vs. Timothy Johnson at UFC Fight Night 99". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  13. ↑ Dann Stupp (2016-11-19). "-UFC Fight Night 99 results: Ex-Bellator champ Alexander Volkov edges Timothy Johnson". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  14. ↑ Staff (2017-03-14). "Roy Nelson meets ex-Bellator champ Alexander Volkov at UFC on FOX 24 in Kansas City". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  15. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2017-04-15). "UFC on FOX 24 results: Alexander Volkov picks apart Roy Nelson for clean-sweep victory". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  16. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (2017-05-27). "Stefan Struve vs. Alexander Volkov headlines UFC event in Rotterdam". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  17. ↑ "UFC-Rotterdam results: Bloodied Alexander Volkov TKOs Stefan Struve in 3rd round". MMAjunkie. 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  18. ↑ Staff (2017-09-02). "UFC-Rotterdam bonuses: Zabit Magomedsharipov, Mairbek Taisumov earn $50K for finishes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  19. ↑ Staff (2018-02-01). "Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Volkov set as main event for UFC Fight Night 127 in London. He won by technical knock out". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  20. ↑ Marc Raimondi (2018-03-17). "UFC London results: Alexander Volkov stuns Fabricio Werdum by knockout". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  21. ↑ Dan Hiergesell (2018-03-17). "UFC Fight Night 127 bonuses: Alexander Volkov's main event knockout leads $50K winners". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
  22. ↑ "Alex Volkov set to fight at UFC event headed by Khabib v Conor". RT International. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  23. ↑ "UFC 229 play-by-play and live results". MMAjunkie. 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  • "Alexander Volkov". UFC.com.
  • Professional MMA record for Alexander Volkov from Sherdog Edit this at Wikidata
  • All fights of Alexander Volkov in M-1 Global from the M-1 Global TV.
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