Tensions are rising between Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida, but will their rivalry culminate in a fight inside the Octagon?
It seems unlikely, at least from Volkov`s perspective. The veteran UFC heavyweight contender addressed recent rumors on social media, suggesting a potential matchup with Almeida at a UFC event in Atlanta on June 14th. These rumors were initially reported by MMA reporter Léo Guimaraes.
Volkov is currently ranked No. 3 in the UFC heavyweight division, while Almeida is ranked No. 6. Volkov argues that a fight between them doesn`t make sense given their respective positions in the rankings.
Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting confirmed that while Almeida`s camp is eager to make the fight happen, Volkov`s team has not yet agreed to it.
Almeida has made his desire to fight Volkov abundantly clear, responding to Volkov`s comments on social media.
“I already accepted the fight with the UFC,” Almeida stated. “What about you, Volkov? June 14th, Atlanta, Georgia. I just want to fight. This talk about rankings is irrelevant; you haven`t fought me, and you are coming off a loss. This is the fight that makes sense.”
Almeida is currently riding a two-fight win streak, with both wins coming by first-round finishes against Serghei Spivac and Alexander Romanov. He also pointed out that Volkov is coming off a recent loss to Ciryl Gane via split decision, which ended Volkov`s four-fight winning streak.
Almeida further commented that if Volkov is unwilling to defend his ranking position, he should forfeit it.
“Talking about beating me not being beneficial for rankings is illogical. Curtis Blaydes defeated me and then fought for the title. Everyone knows I`m a tough opponent, so if Volkov defeats me, he`ll be in title contention. The real question is: Does he believe he can beat me?”
“For those who manage the UFC rankings, we need to penalize fighters who decline fights. In this specific case, if Volkov refuses to fight me, I should be moved ahead of him in the rankings.”
Rankings:
#3 Almeida
#6 Volkov
