‘Bam Bam’ Draws ‘Drago’ For Sydney

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently booked the heavyweight hoedown between Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov for the upcoming UFC 293 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., Sept. 9, 2023 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

That’s according to a report from MMA Junkie.

Tuivasa (14-5) is looking to pull himself out of an 0-2 hole. After racking up five straight wins — all by way of knockout — “Bam Bam” got finished in back-to-back losses to Ciryl Gane (UFC Paris) and Sergei Pavlovich (UFC Orlando).

Volkov (36-10) has done the exact opposite, capturing consecutive first-round knockout victories over Jairzinho Rozenstruik (UFC Vegas 56) and Alexander Romanov (UFC Las Vegas). “Drago” is ranked one spot below “Bam Bam” at No. 7.

Hard to imagine this heavyweight banger going to a decision.

UFC 293 does not yet have a main event, but matchmakers are hoping to get Israel Adesanya atop the card. Joining him would be the flyweight contest between Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France, recently signed for the “Down Under” lineup.