Point of interest: Wrestler’s wrath
Considering the wrestling disparity in this matchup, it’s hard not to wonder when Blaydes will look to exploit his on-paper advantages.
A junior college wrestling champion, Blaydes carries a potent heavyweight wrestling style that translates well to MMA.
Showing all the signs of an aggressive grappler since his wrestling days, Blaydes has always appeared to have a relentlessness in his approach. Whether he is re-wrestling for underhooks, looking for mat returns or implementing his patented blast-double takedown, Blaydes can execute like second nature (even when under heavy fire).
That said, Blaydes may have more obstacles than just uppercuts and knees when it comes to getting Volkov down.
Despite wrestling traditionally being Volkov’s foil, the 11-year pro has slowly by surely shored up some of the fundamental holes in his takedown defense in recent years.
Whether he is utilizing overhooks or underhooks, Volkov does much better at stopping his opposition from attacking his hips. The Russian fighter is also very diligent when it comes to head position, proactively placing his forehead as a stopper of momentum.
With that in mind, Volkov has been prone to preemptively dipping his head in harm’s way, and he has eaten his fair share of uppercuts throughout his career.
Although Volkov appears to have competently climbed to a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he’s traditionally been too comfortable and conservative when fighting off his back. Past opponents who have implemented a top-heavy pursuit have typically succeeded in grappling stanzas with the Russian, or at the very least, earned enough control time to win the round.
That said, when he fought Fabricio Werdum, Volkov displayed an improved getup urgency and scrambling ability, utilizing a solid tripod technique to get back to his feet. Turtling to his base to stand, Volkov did a great job at keeping his back at a severe slope when returning to topside, something that discourages opportunistic back-takers by making a difficult surface to secure to.
Although Blaydes is not an avid back taker, Volkov will still need to be mindful anytime he bases out to stand, as the turtle position can often offer a la carte options in regards to wrestling rides and mat-return opportunities.
Blaydes, like many wrestlers, does not play for your typical jiu-jitsu positions in hopes of finding a submission, as he’d seemingly rather dismantle opposition through punishing rides that see the American unleash strikes off of smart wrist-feeds and controls. And whenever Blaydes does get his opponent’s backs flat, hellacious, skull-splitting elbows aren’t usually far behind.
Whether Volkov elects to play guard to try and get back to his feet, the 31-year-old veteran will have to be urgent in his actions if he means to avoid the wrestler’s wrath.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction