After Dana White Promised to Make Things Right, Alexander Volkov Reveals UFC Career Update

“Maybe she liked Ciryl Gane’s body more, I don’t know,” said an irate Alexander Volkov at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference, as Judge Adalaide Byrd ruled the fight in Gane’s favor. Despite Volkov dominating all three rounds, judges awarded the fight to Gane who won the fight by way of a split decision. As the referee raised ‘Bon Gamin’s’ hand in victory, Volkov couldn’t believe his eyes. Dana White had to step forward and promise a heavyweight title shot to the Russian.

Dana White had to personally intervene to console the losing fighter, assuring him that he would make things right, “I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right,” said the UFC CEO after an angry Volkov walked out of the Octagon at UFC 310. Well, a month has passed since that incident and Alexander Volkov has come forward to give us an update about his career.

The Russian fighter took to his Instagram handle to upload a video of himself where it can be seen that he is holding two Naga BJJ belts. He said, “Friends, I promised you a belt, and I have earned two. But there’s a catch.”  The North American Grappling Association (NAGA) hosts numerous events where they award BJJ belts to fighters. It appears that Volkov has clinched several belts from the association.

Last year’s ending was supposed to be on a good note, but it turned out to be a horrible experience for the Russian fighter. After the fight ended, Volkov had only one thing for the judging aspect of the fight, “It was a bullsh*t decision, for sure. I don’t accept this. I don’t know what we’re going to do with the decision. I’m absolutely sure I won the fight. I did much more than Gane.”

It might have been horrible for the Russian fighter but the UFC head honcho will do everything in their power to make it right. Interestingly, according to Volkov’s manager, the UFC management has promised that ‘Drago’ is a frontrunner for the title, saying, “The judge known for controversial decisions in boxing left a stain in this story as well. But we are thankful to the UFC management. They informed us that despite the ‘robbery’, Volkov is a title contender, not Gane.”

However, what does Volkov’s words mean? Is the fighter prepping for a fight? The next heavyweight title fight, barring any surprises, will be Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall. What White and the UFC said essentially means that Volkov will still hold more relevance than Gane in the title picture. And the post-fight reactions pointed to the same. Volkov was frustrated by the defeat but what was intriguing was that ‘Bon Gamin’ was disappointed in his performance as well.

Ciryl Gane gave his reasons for a victory against Alexander Volkov

Dana White had to personally step in to support Alexander Volkov after the fight, as the judges scored it rather horrendously. Despite this, Ciryl Gane was equally surprised by his victory, as he wasn’t expecting his hand to be raised. During a media briefing, the Frenchman expressed his disappointment in his performance. While having a conversation with the media, Gane asserted that he was injured weeks before the clash.

“I was frustrated with my fight because of [my injury]. I was frustrated because I started my training in July for this fight. And to start your fight like this, the first second you land [and your toe gets injured]… I tried to push on my toes [but I couldn’t]. So this changed a lot of my mindset. I was frustrated about that,” said Gane.

Both Gane and Volkov are not satisfied with their fight and would love to clash against each other in a rematch but will it happen? Will the UFC head honcho set opt for the rematch? For now, nothing can be said with certainty. What are your thoughts on the hubbub? State your opinion in the comments below.