This past weekend at UFC Vegas 18, Alexander Volkov (33-8) went head-to-head with Alistair Overeem (47-19, 1 NC). The winner of this matchup was going to be in a very good position inside the top five moving forward.
I was expecting this fight to be close, but in reality, it was anything but. As soon as the bell sounded at UFC Vegas 18, Alexander Volkov was in control. His strikes were extremely crisp and he never gave Overeem any time to get comfortable inside the octagon.
There were several times where Volkov pinned Overeem against the fence and peppered him with shots. In the second round, Volkov really started to do some serious damage. A huge 1-2 forced Overeem to turn away and that’s when Volkov really poured it on.
A few more devastating combinations followed and Overeem went crashing to the floor which caused the referee to stop it. Alexander Volkov didn’t just win at UFC Vegas 18, he made a huge statement.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 18?
Following the big win at UFC Vegas 18, there are a couple of options for Alexander Volkov. Both of the options I have in mind look at the two heavyweight main events that are coming up later this month.
Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes are scheduled to headline on 2/20 while Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane are headlining on 2/27. If I was the match maker for the UFC, I would give Volkov the winner of one of these matchups.
The only fight I would consider giving him the loser in would be the Lewis and Blaydes matchup. Volkov was seconds away from a UFC title shot a few years ago before Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1 NC) knocked him out.
Curtis Blaydes (14-2, 1 NC) grinded out a decision win against Volkov back in 2020. Blaydes and Lewis are the only two men to have defeated Volkov in the UFC. So if you were going to give him a loser of those matchups, that’s the fight to do it.
Personally, I love Volkov against the winner of the Gane/Rozenstruik matchup. In my ideal world, that is what I would do next. Exciting times and a bunch of fun matchups are ahead in the UFC’s heavyweight division.