Alexander Volkov seems to have the time and the necessary wherewithal to make a run to the top of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division. A former Bellator MMA and M-1 Global champion, the 6-foot-7 Russian will collide with Tai Tuivasa in the UFC 293 co-main event on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Volkov enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories, while Tuivasa approaches the fight on a two-fight losing streak.
Volkov’s Key Stats
Volkov is 34 years of age and has an impressive record of 24 wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 67% of his career total (36). His list of UFC victims includes Romanov, Rozenstruik, Overeem, Harris, Werdum, and Struve. Volkov owns three other wins by submission (8%) and nine more by decision (25%). He has fought at least once in 15 consecutive calendar years, and his opponents who have defeated him sport a .723 cumulative winning percentage at 187-70-5.
Tuivasa’s Key Stats
Tuivasa, on the other hand, is 30 years of age and has 13 victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 93% of his career total (14). His list of UFC victims consists of Lewis, Struve, Sakai, Hardy, Hunsucker, Asker, and Coulter. Tuivasa holds one other victory by decision (7%). He has earned $250,000 in post-fight bonuses across his 13 appearances in the UFC, with four “Performance of the Night” awards and one “Fight of the Night” award.
Tuivasa also has six sub-minute finishes on his resume, though only one of them has taken place inside the Octagon. He disposed of Hunsucker with punches 49 seconds into their UFC on ESPN 21 pairing on March 20, 2021. The cumulative winning percentage between the five opponents who have beaten Tuivasa is .789, with a combined record of 86-23.
As Volkov and Tuivasa approach their looming battle Down Under, these numbers provide a glimpse of the formidable fighting abilities each brings to the table. The outcome of this showdown will undoubtedly have significant implications for the heavyweight division and the fighters’ respective futures in the UFC.