UFC 254 has added a big time heavyweight clash featuring two guys in the top ten as Alexander Volkov (31-8) will be taking on Walt Harris (13-8).
Confirmed UFC adding a heavyweight bout between Alexander Volkov (@AlexDragoVolkov) and Walt Harris (@thebigticket205) to UFC 254 PPV on Oct. 24. First reported by https://t.co/Z7YM6j31yv.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 31, 2020
Both Volkov and Harris fought in the first two months that the UFC was back in production. Both men lost their first fights of 2020. Harris and Volkov will be looking to use this contest as a bounce back to head towards to top five.
Big UFC heavyweight implications
The heavyweight division in the UFC is in an interesting state at the moment. Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic will conclude their trilogy for the heavyweight title in a couple of weeks at UFC 252.
Both men could walk away from the sport after UFC 252. Right behind them the division has a clear number one contender in Francis Ngannou. Ngannou has won four consecutive fights by first round knockout.
After Ngannou, there’s a wide open field of contenders. Two of those contenders are Harris and Volkov.
Walt Harris had one of the most difficult years anyone could go through over the last twelve months. He made his emotional return to the octagon back in May against Alistair Overeem.
Harris looked like he was going to close the show in the first, but a game Overeem survived. Harris began to tire and Overeem was able to get the finish in the second round. This fight is a big chance for Harris to right the ship.
Back in 2018, Volkov was perhaps a victory away from a UFC title shot. Actually, he was about 11 seconds away from a potential title shot. That’s when Derrick Lewis landed a massive bomb which knocked Volkov out after Volkov dominated the fight.
Volkov bounced back in 2019 with a win over Greg Hardy, but then fall short against Curtis Blaydes back in June. The Russian had some bright spots in the fight, but a steady wrestling onslaught was his downfall.
This fight is so much fun and it’s so interesting. Harris is a very fast starter who looks to finish the fight early while Volkov likes to use his shots to fatigue his opponents. I think a finish is likely in this fight. If it’s early, I expect Harris to win. Later rounds, I’m going with Volkov. It’s a fun one in the heavyweight division.