BUZZ UFC 333: Volkov outpoints Kuniev, says he has stopped chasing the heavyweight title

Volkov asked for a title shot twice in one week and still has no answer, so he has stopped waiting on one. A week after the UFC 333 press conference, he told The Ariel Helwani Show he is not hunting the belt and that the fighter who holds it defines what it means. If a shot comes, he says he will take it.

The fight itself went the way the size gap suggested. Volkov, 6'7" with an 80-inch reach, worked from distance and attacked Kuniev's legs, which kept the Dagestan-born heavyweight from building offense. It was his third straight win and came on his 38th birthday. Judges scored it 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, according to Kimura.

The cost showed afterward. Kuniev, 34, was the only fighter taken to hospital from a card with six knockouts, and UFC officials confirmed to MMA Mania that it was for precautionary leg X-rays. Results of the scans have not been disclosed.

Volkov's argument is simple. His only loss in his last eight was the split decision to Ciryl Gane in December 2024, which many fans and media felt the judges got wrong. Gane is now the undisputed champion and defends against Josh Hokit at UFC 334, a booking Volkov has criticized. Days before his own fight he walked into the press conference as a fan to ask White what he should do. White seemed not to know him until Alexander Volkanovski explained, and later said he was playing along. Volkov doesn't buy that, and joked that White may think of Volkanovski whenever he hears his name. He also told Yavuz Fighthunterz he believes he could beat Jones, though as a neutral fan he would pick Jones, who has not fought since November 2024.

Outside voices are on his side. Stipe Miocic told Casino.org that if Volkov gets the chance, he will win the belt, and said he is glad he never fought him. Daniel Cormier called him the No. 1 contender unless Tom Aspinall returns soon or Alex Pereira scores a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich.

Watch Nov. 14 first, when Gane meets Hokit, then UFC 335 on Dec. 12. Those results will show whether Volkov gets the shot he has stopped chasing or is passed again.