UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov saw his defeats to former interim champion Ciryl Gane and current titleholder Tom Aspinall as a key turning point in his career.
The former Bellator and M-1 Global champion is a day away from his shot at redemption opposite Gane, with the pair among the main card bouts set for the UFC 310 pay-per-view in Las Vegas this weekend.
The Russian and French fighters are running it back three years on from their first clash — a UFC Fight Night headliner at the Apex that ended in a convincing five-round unanimous decision victory for Gane.
After a bounce-back performance against Marcin Tybura, Volkov tasted defeat again soon after, this time by way of submission at the hands of a charging Aspinall. Since then, however, "Drago" has been unstoppable.
Knockouts of Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexandr Romanov, a submission versus Tai Tuivasa, and an underdog triumph against fellow countryman Sergei Pavlovich have seen Volkov leap up the ladder to #3 in the rankings, leaving him firmly in the championship conversation.
During an interview with Zac Pacleb for UFC.com ahead of his return this weekend, the 36-year-old assessed the key components to his current winning run and the impact that past defeats to "Bon Gamin" and the reigning interim champ had.
I learned to be confident in myself," Volkov said. "It’s one of the biggest problems for many fighters, and at the time, you feel a little bit kind of bored in the fight. It’s hard to push yourself, to motivate yourself. I got some motivation after this loss (to Gane) and the fight with Tom Aspinall. It made me more risky, more dangerous, and more well-rounded because I started to work on skills I didn’t work before.
Volkov will look to utilize those new skills en route to avenging his 2021 setback opposite Gane in their rematch this Saturday night.
Should the Russian do so successfully, a potential first shot at gold on MMA's biggest stage and a chance to avenge the Aspinall defeat could await him in 2025.