Free Fight! ‘Drago’ Knocks Out Werdum In London

Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Alexander Volkov has become a legit contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight division after making his Octagon debut in late 2016. During that span, “Drago” has won five of six, with his lone loss coming against Derrick Lewis at UFC 229; a fight he was winning before “Black Beast” hit a home run shot in the fifth and final round.

Throughout his run, Volkov has defeated some longtime veterans such as Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve, and even derailed the Greg Hardy hype train in his previous bout. But one of his toughest challenges throughout his UFC career came against former 265-pound champion, Fabricio Werdum, who he faced at UFC Fight Night 127 in early 2018.

At the time, Werdum was coming in with some momentum after scoring back-to-back wins having won nine of his previous 11. Volkov, meanwhile, was riding a five-fight win streak. Furthermore, the two big men knew each other very well, as they had previously trained together. Come fight night it was all business, as Werdum, obviously, tried on numerous occasion to lure Volkov to the ground, while “Drago” was content with enjoying his reach advantage on the feet.

And in the fourth round of their five round main event, it paid off, as Volkov and Werdum exchanged strikes in the center of the Octagon, which earned Werdum a three piece combo (minus the soda) that dropped him flat on the canvas. Two huge follow up shots later was enough for the referee to put an end to the bout, giving Volkov his second straight knockout victory.

Now, “Drago” will look to sneak his way into title contention if he can take out a red-hot Curtis Blaydes, winner of three in a row, when they collide in the main event of UFC on ESPN 11 this Sat. night (June 20, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To see the full UFC on ESPN 11: “Blaydes vs Volkov” fight card click here.