Volkov Tops Struve with Punching Flurry
Alexander Volkov has made it clear — he wants in the main UFC heavyweight scene. Volkov was victorious in the main event bout of UFC Fight Night: Rotterdam, finishing off Stefan Struve in the third round.
Both men had their moments in the first. After feeling each other out and both checking leg kicks, Volkov got his best shots of the round in with kicks and knees to the body, as well as counter-striking. Struve had his own big shot with a late jumping knee that busted Volkov open, but Volkov answered with a strong takedown and huge ground-and-pound until the end of the first.
Volkov’s momentum from the ground-and-pound continued into the second, as he overwhelmed the Dutch native. It seemed every time Struve landed a punch, Volkov answered back with a harder strike.
The Russian fighter applied pressure on Struve throughout the second and into the third. After a slower pace occurred in the third, following what appeared to be both fighters getting poked in the eye accidentally, Volkov went back on the attack. After some inside leg kicks and a right hand, Volkov brought back the flurry of punches, eventually dropping Struve with a combination and continuing to pound away until the referee stopped the bout.
This is Volkov’s fifth-straight win, and he is now 3-0 in the UFC.
UFC Fight Night: Rotterdam Results
Main card:
Alexander Volkov def. Stefan Struve via TKO (Rd. 3, 3:30)
Siyar Bahadurzada def. Rob Wilkinson via TKO (Rd. 2, 3:10)
Marion Reneau def. Talita Bernardo via TKO (Rd. 3, 4:54)
Leon Edwards def. Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Undercard:
Darren Till def. Bojan Velickovic via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mairbek Taisumov def. Felipe Silva via KO (Rd. 1, 1:24)
Michel Prazeres def. Mads Burnell via submission (north-south choke) (Rd. 3, 1:26)
Rustam Khabilov def. Desmond Green via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Aleksandar Rakić def. Francimar Barroso via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Mike Santiago via submission (rear-naked choke) (Rd. 2, 4:22)
Abdul-Kerim Edilov def. Bojan Mihalovic via TKO (Rd. 2, 2:32)
Thibault Gouti def. Andrew Holbrook via TKO (Rd. 1, 4:28)