This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 30, two top heavyweights went to battle. Undefeated top prospect Ciryl Gane (9-0) was looking to remain unbeaten against the tough Alexander Volkov (33-9).
Volkov has been with the UFC since 2016 and he’s done extremely well. Heading into Saturday night, Volkov held a record of 7-2 in nine fights with the promotion. One of those losses came against Derrick Lewis in the final seconds.
Volkov dominated that fight until the very end when Lewis landed a devastating knockout shot in the final fifteen seconds. “Drago” lost to Curtis Blaydes last June and had since won back-to-back fights leading into UFC Vegas 30.
Volkov has done a really good job of beating the guys he was supposed to in his UFC career. However, he’s seemed to struggle when he takes on the guys at the top. Unfortunately for Volkov, that narrative didn’t change on Saturday night.
Ciryl Gane did a fantastic job of using his movement and speed to fluster the Russian. Volkov landed some good shots, but for the most part, the fight was dominated and controlled by Ciryl Gane. Ultimately, it was almost a unanimous sweep on the scorecards for Ciryl Gane at UFC Vegas 30.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 30?
For Alexander Volkov, it’s back to the drawing board. The Russian has come close to a UFC title shot on multiple occasions, but he’s always fallen short. The toughest for him to swallow obviously the Derrick Lewis fight in which he was just seconds away from a win.
Now, having his winning streak snapped and losing to Ciryl Gane, where does Volkov go from here? It is worth noting that I thought Volkov’s two wins leading into UFC Vegas 30 were some of the best of his career.
He looked sensational, but he just ran into a better fighter on Saturday night. An opponent that could be next for Volkov is Augusto Sakai (15-3-1). Sakai has lost two straight, but both of those fights were headliners. He’s still in the top ten and a matchup between the two could provide some clarity to the UFC about both contenders.