Alexander Volkov edged closer to aUFC title shot.- Volkov broke
Alistair Overeem 's nose Saturday at a behind-closed-doors MMA show in Las Vegas. - The Russian may now be one more win away from a shot at the championship.
Heavy-handed Russian Alexander Volkov edged closer to a UFC title shot after a merciless battering of Alistair Overeem on Saturday.
Heavyweight veteran Overeem, a former champion in Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1, was chasing a run to the UFC belt having beaten Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai in 2020.
However, the British-born Dutchman was toppled in the second round of his behind-closed-doors clash with Volkov, with the Russian leaving him bloodied, beaten, and with his nose broken.
Watch the finish here:
—ufcespanol (@UFCEspanol) February 7, 2021
Overeem called Volkov a true warrior and said it wasn't his night on Instagram. "I could not recover from that punch in the first round after I broke my nose."
As Overeem was a No.5-ranked heavyweight in the UFC, Volkov hailed his winning performance as one of the best in his career.
"I'm looking to be a champion," he said, according to MMA Fighting. "I'm going to concentrate on the next camp [and] the next fight."
The win advanced Volkov's pro MMA record to 33 wins (22 knockouts, three submissions, and eight decisions) against eight losses.
The UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defends his heavyweight title March 27 at UFC 260 against Francis Ngannou and Volkov may be able to position himself to fight the winner of that bout for the title - if he can secure a bout against the victor of Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis' fight later this month.