Alexander Volkov may be next in line for whoever is the heavyweight champion after UFC 321, coming away with a close, debatable split decision victory over Jailton Almeida.

Almeida scored a takedown right away in the opening seconds of the fight, getting Volkov to the mat right away and controlling the action. Volkov, however, managed to reverse the position about halfway through the round, getting on top and landing some strong blows on Almeida.

Almeida's grappling helped him control the third round as well, but Volkov made the most of damage with his striking -- including knees in the first minute of the final round. Two judges felt the same, as he earned a split decision win.

Alexander Volkov Earns Split Decision Over Jailton Almeida In UFC 321 Title Eliminator

For Volkov, this win may feel like redemption after being on the losing end of a controversial split decision at UFC 310. That loss came to tonight's title challenger, Ciryl Gane.

Almeida is now 2-2 in his last four after a 15-fight winning streak earlier in his career.