Alexander Volkov needed less than three minutes to dispatch Alexandr Romanov in an impressive performance as the UFC Las Vegas co-main event on Saturday.
Stuffing an early takedown from Romanov set the tone for the fight as Volkov just came after his opponent with guns blazing. After hurting Romanov to the body, Volkov stopped another takedown and then just unleashed a barrage of punches.
With Romanov trapped, Volkov continued hammering away until the referee had no choice but to stop the fight with the end coming at just 2:16 in the opening round.
“I was expected him to use all of his strength to get that first takedown,” Volkov said. “I have to keep pressuring forward, that was my plan. Keep on pressuring him, he’ll lose his breath and he’ll lose his power.
“I’m ready for whoever the UFC gives me. I’m not going to call out anyone myself. I just want to get a fight as soon as possible … so call me out.”
It didn’t take long for Romanov to close the distance and look for the takedown almost as soon as the fighters were released from the corner. Despite his best effort, Romanov couldn’t get in deep on the legs and Volkov was quick to shrug him off.
What he may not have expected after that, however, was Volkov coming right back at him with a barrage of strikes including a nasty kick right up the middle that plowed into Romanov’s midsection.
Romanov desperately tried to grab onto a leg to once again bring the fight down to the ground but Volkov just wasn’t having it. Volkov stuffed the shot and then started throwing bombs from the top position with Romanov just stuck underneath him.
Volkov continued slipping punches through Romanov’s defense as the referee started warning the Moldovan heavyweight that the fight would be stopped soon. Romanov managed to resist momentarily but Volkov was relentless as he just continued to blast away with punches until there was no other choice but to end the fight.
The stoppage helped Volkov earn his second win in a row as the veteran heavyweight proved he’s still got plenty of fight left in the tank while looking to build some momentum in the division.