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Alexander Volkov Out To Remind People Of His Place In The Heavyweight Division
Russian Heavyweight Alexander Volkov Wants To Halt Cortes Acosta’s Rise, Secure Marquee Opportunity With Win
Alexander Volkov is 37 years old, 50 fights into his professional career as a mixed martial arts and currently stationed at No. 2 in the UFC heavyweight rankings, so he’s no longer at a point where he’s looking to compete for competition’s sake. But when the UFC called with an offer to face Waldo Cortes Acosta on this weekend’s UFC 328 main card, the Russian veteran’s interest was piqued.
“I fought six and seven times in a year when I was younger and looking forward, but now I don’t need this,” Volkov said. “Because of my position, I’m looking for the belt, but if someone is here and pretends to be fighting for the belt, I’m here, and I can fight with him.”
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The little verbal jab is a reference to a comment Cortes Acosta made following his win over Derrick Lewis earlier this year at UFC 324 when he suggested a matchup with Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. Volkov, who has his own history with the French contender, took to Instagram and posted a video suggest Gane been kept on ice until champion Tom Aspinall is ready to return and that he was more than willing to face the surging Dominican fighter for the interim title.
While there isn’t a belt on the line, the veteran did get the fight that he asked for, and he intends to use Saturday’s matchup with Cortes Acosta and another opportunity to remind everyone of his skill level and place in the divisional hierarchy.
“He has hype, so everybody is watching him, and sometimes people forget that other fighters are also here,” Volkov said. “It’s not just about winning because you can beat fighters with not a very high level and think you beat very hard opponents. So many people that he beat, I can get on short notice and beat them too, so it’s not a big deal… His main point is that he’s very confident in himself. The fight where he got eye-poked and then came back, he showed that. He’s very confident in himself until the end, he has hard punch, he’s very durable, but I should test him.
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“He’s never met a guy with my skills — so experienced, so well-rounded. I should test him for sure, and I think I can beat him.”
Only two men are positioned ahead of Volkov in the rankings — Aspinall and Gane — and most that watched his bout with the latter at UFC 310 feel like two of the three judges got it wrong. The man one spot behind him, fellow Russian and former opponent Sergei Pavlovich, is coming off a win over Cortes Acosta last August, but is scheduled to face No. 14 Tallison Teixeira later this month in Macau. Meanwhile, recent Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Josh Hokit had a rocket strapped to his back after beating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327. Now, he is set to face Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 and feels like a prime candidate to skip the line with another win.
Add in that former light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira has been dropped straight into an interim title fight with Gane in his divisional debut, and you can understand why Volkov was keen to take on this challenge in an effort to remind everyone of his title ambitions and qualifications.
“Right now, I should be busy as well and this fight makes sense to get somebody who will be in a title shot soon,” Volkov said. “This is not a step back — fighting with him is a good way to show everybody I am still here, I still want to fight for the title next, and everybody should watch this fight and notice me as well.”
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It’s difficult not to feel for someone like Volkov, who has stepped up to the plate against a string of tough opponents, officially going in 7-3 over his last 10 fights with the only losses coming against Aspinall and Gane (twice). But he doesn’t have the aura or championship resume of someone like Pereira nor the outlandish personality of Hokit despite his efforts to bolster his social media game.
And so even with a victory over the ascending Cortes Acosta on Saturday night, Volkov is unsure of what would come next for him. He has a very clearly delineated list of preferred opponents, but only time will tell how things will shake out.
“For me, the best way is fighting with Tom Aspinall because he has a title and because I lost to him by submission, so I want revenge; I want to show everyone I can do better,” Volkov said. “This fight makes the most sense for me, but we will see… If (Aspinall) is still injured, not coming back and Alex Pereira (beats) Ciryl Gane, of course I want to fight Alex Pereira; it’s a big name, big fight. If Alex Pereira loses and stays in the division, I want to fight with him because it’s a big name… The last one is Ciryl Gane. This fight also makes sense, but he would be just the interim champ. I just hope it will not be another young, (up-and-coming) opponent; it should be somebody No. 1, 2, or 3.
“But you said it right: I don’t control it,” Volkov added. “And every time I want something, I have the opposite.”
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So for now, he’s just focused on handling his business on this weekend at Prudential Center in Newark, not that he’s willing to disclose any of the particulars about how he sees himself earning another victory.
“I think this fight will mostly be stand-up, but it’s possible going down too; we will see,” Volkov said. “Telling you my plans right now is a little silly just a few days before an important fight, but I’m going to win (laughs). I will have many opportunities and chances to finish him.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to finish him or not, but I will be going for it for sure.”
UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland took place live from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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