[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] thinks he’s getting close to UFC heavyweight gold.
The former Bellator champion and current UFC heavyweight contender is hoping to get a title shot following his most recent victory inside the octagon. Volkov (48-18 MMA, 13-7 UFC) stopped longtime contender Alistair Overeem (32-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in their main event clash at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184 event in Las Vegas.
Volkov, now on a two-fight winning streak, wants to get a chance to fight for the belt.
“I want to fight for the belt, for sure,” Volkov said in a post-fight interview. “But we’ll see. We’ll have some good fights in the future at heavyweight, so we’ll see how it finishes and we’ll see what will be my place. But for sure, I would like to take a title shot.
“I feel really excited and I feel great. It’s my time, and I’m coming for the belt.”
The heavyweight title is on the line March 27 at UFC 260 when Stipe Miocic defends the belt in a rematch against challenger Francis Ngannou. There are also a couple of key heavyweight matchups in the horizon with Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis on Feb. 20 and Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Ciryl Gane on Feb. 27.
The UFC heavyweight title picture could change depending on the outcomes of those heavyweight bouts.
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Volkov is 3-2 in his past five bouts with defeats to both Blaydes and Lewis. The Russian fighter thinks he’s evolved greatly in recent times and he’s ready to hang with anyone at heavyweight.
“I work a lot. I feel now I’m in really good shape, but for sure in the future I’ll be feeling better and better. So this is not the end of my shape and my form,” Volkov said. “I will get better and I’m trying to make hard camps, working on all my skills that I didn’t do before, and I’ve become better.”
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