Alexander Volkov was surprised to find himself standing across the octagon of fellow countryman and former teammate Sergei Pavlovich.
The two Russian heavyweight contenders clashed in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6, which went down at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) defeated Pavlovich (18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a dominant unanimous decision – something he expected, which is why he was surprised Pavlovich took the fight.
“I’m stylistically a very bad matchup for Sergei, so his manager should be more honest with him about the fights that he should or shouldn’t accept,” Volkov told reporters at the UFC on ABC 6 post-fight press conference.”I didn’t spar this way with Sergei when we used to spar together, and what I mean is that unorthodox way. There were other things that we prepared in camp that I think they would’ve worked, as well.
“I think this was an attempt from his side to get a fight quick and fight after a loss. Like I said before, stylistically, I’m a terrible matchup for him.”
Volkov and Pavlovich didn’t end on the best terms. There was bad blood heading into the fight as both fighters felt slighted that the fight was accepted by both parties. Volkov claims he was told that Pavlovich accepted the fight first, which he didn’t take kindly, and the inverse is said from Pavlovich’s perspective. After the fight, Volkov tried to shake Pavlovich’s hand, but got a shove instead.
Sergei Pavlovich shoved Alexander Volkov after their fight 👀 #UFCSaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/UbzcEcQl39
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 22, 2024
As far as what’s next, Volkov said there’s been talk about getting a title eliminator bout now that he’s on a four-fight winning streak. However, nothing is set on stone and his willing to flow with whatever the UFC decides to do with the division.
“I would really like to fight for the title, but I’m also an employee of the UFC, and I’m going to have to not go with my wishes, but go with what they say is right,” Volkov said. “There’s been kind of an unwritten agreement that that’s going to be the case, but who is it going to be or where is it going to be, we don’t really know yet.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.
