Alexander Volkov has many wins on his UFC resume, but probably no more impressive than his late Saturday night.
Volkov tackled Alistair Overeem during the UFC Vegas 18 main event, picking the former K-1 Grand Prix champion on his feet before finally tying a cruel left hook that ended the fight. Once Volkov’s punch landed, Overeem just crumbled on the ground and that was enough for referee Jason Herzog to stop the match.
The strike took place at 2:06 in the second round.
“I feel great, I feel really excited,” Volkov said after his second consecutive victory. “It’s my time. I work a lot with my jab with my strike and I also work a lot with the struggle, but I feel good in getting up.
‘I feel I can finish him in the second or maybe the third round. I saw his face, he has many cuts and blood. I was just waiting for a good punch. This is not the finish of my form, I would be better. ”
With two runners in the cage, there was no room for error, with Volkov chasing Overeem across the octagon with his long range, which included a stiff lead shot. While Overeem returned with a hard hand, Volkov only poured out the punishment with blows in bunches, while trying to overwhelm the former candidate on his feet.
Volkov’s constant attacks on the feet caused Overeem to struggle to find any counters and towards the end of the opening round he shed blood on his face, thanks to the precise accuracy of the Russian strikes.
It was all about the fundamental factors of Volkov, because he kept branding Overeem with the same smooth left-right combination that ‘The Demolition Man’ just could not defend.
After Overeem started leaning against the cage, Volkov smelled blood in the water, and he only stepped forward with lightning combinations, but never allowed himself to strike a blow. Eventually with Overeem dazed and confused, Volkov cracked him with the last left hook that stopped the fight.
Volkov is now 3-1 in its last four fights, with its only loss decided in June with Curtis Blaydes. Although he knows that a title shot is not the next, the 32-year-old heavyweight candidate has made it clear that this is his ultimate goal, and he is one step closer to victory over Overeem.
“I definitely want to fight for the belt,” Volkov said. “But we’ll see. We have some good fights in the future in heavyweight. We’ll see what my place will be, but I’m sure to take a title. ‘