Stipe Miocic spent years at the top of the UFC heavyweight division, and there’s at least one fight he’s happy never got booked. Speaking to casino.org/canada after Alexander Volkov’s unanimous decision win over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333, the retired former champion said he was relieved he never shared the Octagon with Volkov. He also said he expects the Russian contender to win the title if the promotion ever gives him one.
“Volkov has fought everyone. He’s super tough,” Miocic said. “I’ve always watched him and I’ve always rooted for him. I’m glad I never fought him, but I think if he gets the opportunity to become champion, he’ll get it done.”
He followed that with something closer to a scouting report, the kind of read you get from a man who spent a long time studying big men for a living. “I think he’s quick and it’s not like he goes into fights and gets smoked,” Miocic continued. “I think he just does it his own way, and I think he’s right there.”
The Kuniev win came on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, as MMA Mania reported. It was Volkov’s third straight victory and pushed him to 7-1 across his last eight appearances. The lone official loss in that run is the decision he dropped to Ciryl Gane at UFC 310, a result that drew heavy criticism at the time and still reads like a robbery to plenty of people who watched it. Volkov is 38 and ranked No. 2 at heavyweight.
His whole nine-year UFC run has had this feel to it, always near the top, always a little out of sync with the calendar. In 2021 he lost a decision to Gane, and a win there could have made him the pick to face Derrick Lewis for the interim heavyweight title. That interim belt existed because Francis Ngannou had knocked out Miocic. So the night Miocic lost his title reshuffled the division, and Volkov was one result away from walking through the door it opened.
The door isn’t exactly open now either. If former champion Tom Aspinall returns soon, he’d almost certainly be slotted in ahead of Volkov. Then there’s Alex Pereira, the heavyweight newcomer who meets Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335. A knockout there could give Pereira enough star power to jump the line.
My take: Miocic nailed it with “he’s right there,” and that’s exactly what makes the situation so frustrating. Volkov has done the work. He’s taken every assignment for nearly a decade, lost a fight most people thought he won, and answered with three more wins instead of complaining his way into relevance. Pereira is a genuine star, but passing over a 7-1 heavyweight for a newcomer with one fight in the division would be the matchmaking equivalent of a hype train built on a single stop. Volkov earned the next shot. The most decorated heavyweight champion in UFC history has already picked his guy, and the UFC 335 result will decide whether the company agrees.
