Alexander Volkov: Post-fight scuffle at UFC Saudi Arabia was first time I heard Sergei Pavlovich say swear words
Alexander Volkov had an impressive performance against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, their post-fight altercation raised more eyebrows than the fight itself. After the win, Volkov appeared to approach his former teammate for an embrace but was shoved away by Pavlovich in visible frustration.
It also became a talking point during the backstage post-fight interview. 'Drago' explained his confusion on the situation, saying he had never seen Pavlovich in such an agitated state.
In Russian, Volkov said:
"I really want to find out why exactly he got offended. Perhaps he just didn't understand a thing or two but if that's the case, it must be his problem, not mine. What really surprised me after the fight is that it was the first time ever I heard Sergei say swear words. He told me to do it to myself. I had never heard anything like that from him before."
Despite the time spent together as teammates, play-by-play commentator Jon Anik noted that Pavlovich saw Volkov as "an acquaintance" while the latter referred to his 32-year-old counterpart as a friend.
On the official UFC stats, Volkov landed 83 significant strikes to just 46 from Pavlovich en route to a unanimous decision win.
View the full interview with Alexander Volkov from MMA Junkie on YouTube below:
Alexander Volkov reaches new heights with his UFC win streak
With the UFC heavyweight division log-jammed at the top, Alexander Volkov has quietly put together one of the best runs of his career. Following his loss to current interim champion Tom Aspinall in 2022, 'Drago' has put together four straight victories.
Much of the fan conversations heading into his bout with Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia referenced a previous interview from Volkov where he claimed that he had never won a round in sparring with the former army veteran.
Regardless, in the fight that mattered in the Octagon, Volkov outshone his opponent in striking, cutting his former training partner wide open and winning all three rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards.