Alexander Volkov took on a behemoth in Alexandr Romanov at UFC Fight Night 221 – and made it look relatively easy.
Saturday’s co-main event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels lasted all of 2:16 as Volkov (36-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) finished Romanov (16-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) with ground-and-pound punches in Round 1.
Romanov shot for a takedown early but wasn’t able to maintain significant control. Once back at a distance, Volkov turned it on and aggressively walked toward Romanov. A Volkov punch clattered Romanov on the top of the head. Romanov tried to tie Volkov up, but it backfired. Volkov ended up on top and pounded away until referee Mark Smith waved off the bout.
Alexander Volkov’s barrage ends it in the first round 💥 #UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/xg8wFEPGLn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 12, 2023
Volkov, 34, has won back-to-back fights and three of his most recent four outings. In the fight previous to UFC Fight Night 221, Volkov finished Jairzinho Rozenstruik with punches in 2:12.
Romanov, 32, began his career with 16 straight wins but has now lost back-to-back fights. In August, he was defeated by Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision at UFC 278.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 221 results include:
- Nikita Krylov def. Ryan Spann via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:38
- Jonathan Martinez def. Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mario Bautista def. Guido Cannetti via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:18
- Vitor Petrino def. Anton Turkalji via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
- Karl Williams def. Lukasz Brzeski via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Davey Grant def. Raphael Assuncao via technical submission (reverse triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:43
- Josh Fremd def. Sedriques Dumas via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:00
- Victor Henry def. Tony Gravely via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ariane Lipski def. JJ Aldrich via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Bruno Silva def. Tyson Nam via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:23
- Carlston Harris def. Jared Gooden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
