Alexander Volkov Presses Dana White on His Path to a Heavyweight Title Shot After UFC 333

Alexander Volkov celebrated his 38th birthday on Saturday by securing his 20th UFC victory. The Russian heavyweight moved to 41-11 after beating Rizvan Kuniev by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi. 

The win extends his current streak to three fights and marks a 7-1 run over his last eight appearances. His only loss in that stretch came via a close split decision against Ciryl Gane at UFC 310, a setback that almost made him walk away from MMA entirely.

Now ranked No. 4 in the heavyweight division, Volkov wants a title shot. After finishing his 52nd professional fight on Saturday, he asked UFC CEO Dana White what more he needs to do to earn a championship fight.

Alexander Volkov Asks Dana White About a Title Shot in Octagon Interview

Volkov built his lead by kicking Kuniev's legs and body early. These continuous low kicks slowed Kuniev down by the third round. Late in the fight, Volkov stopped a takedown attempt, took Kuniev's back, and locked on a rear-naked choke, but Kuniev defended well. Volkov outmatched his opponent in all aspects of the fight.

Right after the co-main event, Daniel Cormier entered the octagon for the post-fight interview. In that moment, Volkov called out the UFC boss in front of the 50% of the crowd who came from outside the UAE. 

"I have a question for Dana White. I just started my professional career and I have about 20 professional fights in the UFC. What should I do to a title shot? Answer me, please," Volkov said.

Cormier answered on behalf of the promotion, "There anything more you need to do. You keep your eyes on that title fight in New York City. Congratulations on the massive victory."

Dana White Points Alexander Volkov Toward Matchmakers

Volkov first raised the question at Thursday's press conference, asking what it would take to get a title shot. White referred him to matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. The clip went viral because White did not appear to recognize him. 

Following the victory over Kuniev, a reporter asked White at the post-fight press conference if the performance earned Volkov a championship opportunity.

"He had a good performance tonight, and we'll see what happens next," White said, though he refused to commit to a date or an opponent.

Volkov admitted that his question to White was just a fun part of his English practice, stating, “I enjoy it throughout the week; I really enjoy this. People thought I did it to promote myself or something; I just did it for fun. I started learning English more; I go to the U.S. I started to be more confident in my English and this gives me more opportunity to speak with all of you.”

However, Volkov will have to wait for his heavyweight title shot. The promotion has booked undisputed champion Gane (14-2) against sixth-ranked Josh Hokit (10-0) to headline UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden. Gane became the undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt due to a lingering eye injury.

Cormier directed Volkov to keep his eyes on that New York card, but the path to the belt remains crowded. Sergei Pavlovich and Alex Pereira are scheduled to meet at UFC 335 in December, and the winner of that bout will likely jump ahead in the title line. Given the potential order, Volkov may need to stay patient before he gets his opportunity at the gold.