It is time for Alexander Volkov to fight for the UFC Heavyweight title.
There is a new dawn in the UFC Heavyweight Division as an interim title holder Tom Aspinall has been promoted to the undisputed champion after the official retirement of Jon Jones of the sport.
The Aspinall of England promises to be an active, title defender, with UFC CEO Dana White enthusiastic about the 'Tom Aspinall era' now Jones is gone.
Aspinall has a few potential opponents for his first undisputed title defense, including former champion Ciryl Gane and the Jilton Almeida van Brazil, who is 8-1 in the UFC.
Although Gane seems to be a somewhat clear #1 -year -old for Aspinall, I think the next title shot should go to a hunter that comes from a loss.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alexander Volkov has a decent business for title shot against Tom Aspinall
The 6'7 ″ Alexander Volkov is currently at #2 in the UFC Heavyweight Division and has been ranked in the top 15 since he entered the UFC in 2016.
The former Bellator champion has won four of his last five fights and has only lost to the Aspinall champion and Gane in his last ten fights.
Volkov has Sergei Pavlovich, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, the only heavyweight hunter in the top 5 defeats that did not fight for a title.
Volkov comes from a controversial division decision loss against Gane on UFC 310, in a fight, much of the MMA world that the Russian had won.
UFC CEO Dana White did not agree with the decision of the jury members and apologized at Volkov and told the hunter 'We will try to make it right' in a conversation after the fight.
While Volkov was in the hands of Aspinall loss in 2022, the heavyweight skyscraper certainly brought its way into a title Rematch with victories on Jairzinho Rozen bush, Alexandr Romanov, Tai Tuisa and Pavlovich, who disputed Aspinall for the interim championship in 2023.
In the midst of the Jones situation, Volkov said that his time was up for a title fight and now it is perhaps the time for the 17-Fight UFC veteran to get his chance.
Ciryl Gane is 0-2 in undisputed title fights
Days after Aspinall was promoted to the undisputed heavyweight champion, the #1 competition Ciryl Gane indicated that he was the next in line for the title.
“Everything has now been set in motion,” Gane teased on Instagram.
A fight with Aspinall would be the third crack of Gane on the undisputed title after he had fallen to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones.
Gane earned a fight with Ngannou after seven consecutive victories, but was defeated by a unanimous decision. Gane returned to the win -column against Tai Tuisivasa and received a second title shot, this time for the empty title against Jones in 2023.
Gane lost Jones through the entry in the first round in just over two minutes at UFC 285.
The French star has since returned with a TKO by Serghei Spivac and the closely affected decision against Volkov, a fight in which he sustained a foot injury in the opening round.
There is a name value with Gane, but I don't think the next heavyweight title shot should go to him. In my opinion it should go to Alexander Volkov, the Eternal Competer who demonstrably hits him in their Rematch.