Volkov Grinds Out Victory Over Almeida, Eyes Heavyweight Title Shot

On October 25, 2025, at UFC 321, heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov faced off against Jailton Almeida in a potential No. 1 contender's fight. Despite spending most of the fight on his back after being taken down repeatedly by Almeida, Volkov's ability to land short punches and elbows from the ground proved to be the difference.

Volkov was able to use his wrist control to prevent Almeida from advancing his position, and he even managed a few slick reversals to put the Brazilian on his back. From there, Volkov continued to chip away with his ground-and-pound, as Almeida was unable to break free or mount any significant offense.

While the fight was anything but a barnburner, Volkov did enough to earn the nod from two of the judges, who scored the bout 29-28 in his favor. The third judge scored it 29-28 for Almeida, but Volkov's activity on the ground was the deciding factor.

With the victory, Volkov gets back on track after a close loss in his previous fight. Looking at the heavyweight landscape, he is now in prime position to earn a title shot against the winner of the UFC 321 main event.