Alexander Volkov criticizes UFC title fight

Volkov questions the meaning of the heavyweight title after UFC picks Josh Hokit to face Ciryl Gane.

Longtime UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov has sharply criticized the organization for its scheduled heavyweight title fight.

He had actually planned to fight Ciryl Gane for the title. Instead, the UFC chose Josh Hokit as the challenger. This decision caused him great displeasure, and he is questioning the current significance of the UFC heavyweight title. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, he made it very clear that he considers this decision to be wrong.

“The belt has the meaning of the fighter who has it right now. If we talk about Gane, he has the belt. We can see he is a champion for having this belt. So the meaning of the belt is like that, a champion who can eye-poke somebody in a fight, kick a groin or do something else, and then knock out guys and become a champion because he hurt another champion before. Now, the meaning of the belt is the same. Then he will fight with a guy who is just very loud right now, kind of showman. If he would take this belt, the meaning of the belt is that now you should be a showman to get the belt. But (one day) it will be about a fighter who just can beat everybody, not speak a lot, do it like there’s no cheating or something like that, and be just a martial artist. This belt will have this meaning. If I will have the belt, the belt will have meaning”

he said.

With this, he is primarily criticizing the UFC’s decision to reward fighters who fight unfairly or frequently exhibit unsportsmanlike behavior outside the Octagon.

Tonight, Alexander Volkov faces Rizvan Kuniev and has the opportunity to qualify for a title fight. To do so, however, he’ll likely need not only to win but also to put on a convincing performance. After all, following his criticism, he’s probably under pressure himself to back up his statements. What do you think?