Russian fighter Alexander Volkov in an interview with , he explained why he agreed to fight his former training partner Sergei Pavlovich .
Volkov and Pavlovich trained together for several years at the Strela gymnasium in Moscow and are currently both in the top 10 in the UFC heavyweight division. Dana White announced a fight between two Russians at a tournament in Saudi Arabia on June 22. In his last fight, Pavlovich failed to win the UFC interim championship belt, losing to Tom Aspinall.
— Did I understand correctly that for you this fight looks like a fight with the third number heavyweight? Assuming you’re on a three-fight win streak, a fourth win against someone that high in the rankings makes you a title contender.
– If so, then yes.
– It’s just that in this case Sergei Pavlovich ended up in third place – a person you know well and with whom you have joint photographs.
– Here I can say that the choice does not depend much on me. I am not able to choose an opponent among the top 5 at this time. I can’t say, ‘Give me a fight with Tom Aspinall or Cyril Gun’ and the UFC won’t turn me away. As we can see in my latest opponents, the UFC gives me fighters who, although more or less known, are still below the top 5, or in some cases even below the top 10. For many fans, especially for those who have never followed my career before, it is surprising that I have already had 15 fights in the UFC and most of them were with the tops. I’ve met almost all the guys who are now higher than me in the rankings.
I have already had to abandon the fight several times because I did not want to fight with my compatriots, with those with whom I trained. But these guys weren’t at the level for me to fight for the belt after them. As a result, I simply no longer have the option to refuse fights. From what I understand, this card is important to the UFC and Dana White, so not many people have asked for my consent here. Not in the sense that I’ll be fired later, but if I don’t agree, I’ll continue to fight with the guys below me in the rankings. And it’s unlikely that in the next two or three years anyone will give me the opportunity to fight or come close to the possibility of fighting for the belt.
I will soon be 36, my time is unfortunately limited. In no case would I want to meet Sergei, but it turns out that I can no longer refuse the UFC. The fight would in principle only be possible if Sergei’s team agreed. Because, as I understand it, he has the opportunity to refuse,” Volkov told .
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
