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During the main event of UFC Vegas 18, Alexander Volkov and Alistair Overeem traded heavy blows inside the APEX facilities. However, halfway through Volkov’s second shots proved too difficult for Reem.
Throughout the bout, Volkov cracked the Dutch with punches to the feet, including uppercuts that sliced through and behind his opponent’s guard. In the middle of the second round, the Russian managed to drop Overeem with a left hook, which forced the referee to step in and end the fight.
During his post-fight press conference, Drago spoke about the fight and how he came to victory.
“He hit me really hard, and he hit me with a few punches,” Volkov said (ht MMA Fight). “But I focused on my goal and did what I wanted to do. The hardest part is that he blocked all my kicks. But he might not have thought about my punches, and I could punch him and punch him in the face.
Since starting his tenure in the UFC with four straight wins, the former heavyweight champion Bellator has been a bit inconsistent inside the Octagon. His first loss in the UFC was to Derrick Lewis (by KO) at UFC 229 in 2018. After that, he beat Greg Hardy and then lost a decision to Curtis Blaydes.
In the bout before beating Overeem, Volkov came back to victory with a TKO victory over Walter Harris.
With the win, Volkov can expect to overtake Overeem in the heavyweight standings at least in fifth place. In front of him are the two men who beat him in the UFC as well as Jairzinho Rozenstruik, title challenger Francis Ngannou and champion Stipe Miocic.
Blaydes and Lewis were paired for February 20 and Rozenstruik is due to meet Ciryl Gane (the fighter just below Volkov in the leaderboard) on February 27. Miocic vs Ngannou 2 drops on March 3.
On March 4, there should be a clear picture of the upcoming heavyweight division title fight. Volkov probably needs another win before he can fit into that picture and that’s exactly what he’s hoping for.
Choose not to over-celebrate the victory over Overeem, Volkov said; “I’m looking to be a champion. I will focus on the next camp [and] the next fight.
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