Alexander Volkov has many victories under his belt in the UFC, but without a doubt more impressive than his submission on Saturday night.
Facing Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC Vegas 18, Volkov put himself in an impressive clinic by separating the former K-1 Grand Prix champion standing before finally hitting a brutal left hook that ended the fight. As soon as Volkov’s punch hit, Overeem simply fell to the ground and that was enough for referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight.
The stoppage came at 2:06 of the second round.
“I feel great, I’m really excited,” said Volkov after his second successive win. “It’s my turn. I work a lot with my jab with my striking and I also work a lot with wrestling but I feel good about striking.
“I feel like I could finish him in the second or maybe the third round. I saw his face, he has a lot of cuts and blood. I just expected a good punch. This is not the end of my form, I will be better. “
With two heavy weights in the cage, there was no room for error with Volkov chasing Overeem through the octagon with his long reach, which included a strong lead stroke. While Overeem was coming back over the top with a stiff overhand left, Volkov was just punishing with punches in curls while trying to dominate the former title contender on his feet.
Volkov’s constant attacks on his feet left Overeem struggling to find any kind of counterattack and, at the end of the initial assault, he had blood running down his face thanks to the precision of the Russian’s strokes.
It was all about Volkov’s fundamentals as he continued to score Overeem with the same left-right combination that “The Demolition Man” just couldn’t defend.
As Overeem began to retreat against the cage, Volkov smelled blood in the water and only advanced with explosive combinations, but never allowing himself to be punched in return. Finally with Overeem stunned and confused, Volkov hit him with that final left hook that stopped the fight.
Volkov is now 3-1 in his last four fights, with his only loss coming in the decision to Curtis Blaydes last June. Although he knows that a shot at the title is not next for him, the 32-year-old heavyweight contender has made it clear that he remains his ultimate goal and that he is one step closer after winning against Overeem.
“I definitely want to fight for the belt,” said Volkov. “But we will see. We have some good fights in the future at heavyweight. We’ll see what my place will be, but I certainly want to try the title. “