Alexander Volkov responds to claims of early stoppage against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Night

Volkov vs. Rozenstruik (left); Volkov and referee Herb Dean (right) [Images via @ufceurope Instagram]

Alexander Volkov has opened up about the purported early stoppage in his fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Volkov faced Rozenstruik in a heavyweight bout that headlined tonight’s UFC Vegas 56 event. The fight witnessed Volkov stun his opponent on the feet, knock him down, and follow up with ground strikes.

However, before Volkov could render Rozenstruik completely unconscious, referee Herb Dean intervened and waved off the fight. Rozenstruik, for his part, immediately got up and seemingly protested the stoppage. The exciting striking showdown ended in the first round, with Volkov being declared the winner via TKO.

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During the UFC Vegas 56 post-fight press conference, Volkov responded to claims from some in the MMA community about the fight being stopped early:

“It’s not my fault, anyway. Referee stopped this. But, you know, he, like, go out of me after stoppage. In the moment I hit him, he was little bit like, knocked out. So, he wasn’t being like, fully fresh. So, anyway, it was big opportunity to knock him out to the end because he was almost on the mats.”

“I was ready to throw him down and continue on my work. So, anyway, he was in a bad position. Referee stopped this fight. But anyway, he was like, in a really bad position. And he like, takes so many hard punches, and he was little bit knocked out.”

Additionally, Volkov reiterated that people should perhaps ask the referee, rather than him, about the supposed early stoppage.

Watch Alexander Volkov address the subject around 12:30 of the video below:

Alexander Volkov discusses who he’d like to fight next

Presently, Tai Tuivasa is expected to face former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris on September 3. Towards the end of his press conference segment, Alexander Volkov notably referenced the Tuivasa-Gane matchup and indicated that he’d have liked to fight Tuivasa.

Bon Gamin! 🇫🇷

50-45
50-45
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@ciryl_gane defeats Alexander Volkov on the scorecards! 💪

#UFCVegas30 https://t.co/gc7KqJV8EI

Intriguingly, Alexander Volkov suffered a unanimous decision loss against Gane last year. ‘Drago’ now appears to be open to a fresh matchup with Tuivasa or seeking redemption against Gane. Furthermore, the 33-year-old clarified that he’s willing to fight any opponent the UFC books him against:

“Probably, one [opponent] who I’m not fighting right now, in upper and mid [tier], it’s Tuivasa. But he’ll have to fight against [Ciryl] Gane in September or something. So, I need to wait, I need to wait for somebody. Or, any opponents that UFC will give me will be good. So, I just like to fight, and I’m here,” said Volkov.

Both Ciryl Gane and Tai Tuivasa have agreed to fight on Sept. 3, officials confirmed to @bokamotoESPN.

An official location has not been announced, but the event has been targeted for Paris. It would mark the UFC's first trip to France. https://t.co/AoI5nyAE9I