LAS VEGAS – Perennial heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov is curious to see what else new UFC champ Jon Jones can do right after returning to declare gold.
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returned from a extra than 3-calendar year layoff this earlier weekend when he defeated Ciryl Gane by very first-round submission in the UFC 285 most important occasion. He added a 2nd title to his legacy alongside his previously prolonged run at mild heavyweight, and “Bones” now appears to have a stranglehold on his new weight course.
Volkov, who fought Gane in June 2021 and endured a unanimous choice loss at UFC Struggle Night time 190, was in awe of Jones’ lopsided overall performance. Nonetheless, the point there was only plenty of fight time to see a sliver of Jones’ activity remaining Volkov questioning what additional he has to supply.
“I was pretty enthusiastic to see the battle – I considered it was a excellent fight,” Volkov advised MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Battle Night time 221 media day. “I believed Jon Jones was quite superior at working with Ciryl Gane’s issues proper absent. You could see from the really commencing he capitalized on his issues, but seriously we haven’t witnessed too a lot from Jon Jones in this new division nonetheless. Clearly, we see that he is pretty great at wrestling and instilling his gameplan and keeping folks down and mauling folks, but we’d like to see him on his feet or probably with somebody who is able to preserve length from him or somebody who is improved at defending wrestling or is just a greater wrestler down there who can give him some resistance down there.
“We’ll have to hold out and see. It is extremely interesting to have him in this division. Of course, every person is conversing about it, so it actually freshened up the division and received everyone enthusiastic, so I considered it was a actually great battle and I cannot hold out to see what comes about up coming.”
Volkov (35-10 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who is coming off a to start with-round TKO earn over Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Battle Night time 207 in June, returns to motion Saturday when he meets Alexandr Romanov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in the co-most important event of UFC Battle Night 221. The occasion takes put at The Theater at Virgin Hotels and streams on ESPN+.
The Russian has had his ups and downs in the octagon, but his only losses in nearly six decades with the advertising have arrive from Gane, Tom Aspinall, Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. He’s not contacting for a battle with Jones suitable now, but a win around Romanov would set him in the jogging for one more substantial-profile contender, which would then direct him to the title shot discussion.
“I really don’t seriously fork out awareness substantially to who is where when it comes to rankings,” Volkov reported. “The name’s not as important as, ‘What did you do to ought to have the title shot?’ What I’m likely to do is I’m likely to make sure to present that regardless of what fights I’m in, I deserving of the next title shot. I feel which is something all the other heavyweights really should be targeted on. The posture in the rankings, it is not as essential as what are you carrying out to be the up coming title contender? … We really do not know how numerous moments a year or how usually Jones is going to be preventing, but at the very least it is shuffling the board. It is earning persons shift. It’s earning men and women realize there are transferring particles, and I’m thrilled to see what it’s heading to convey for me.”
For additional on the card, go to MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Struggle Night 221.
