What happened during heated face-off between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov? Unpacking UFC Saudi Arabia co-main event beef
Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov are scheduled for the co-main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. However, just days after sharing a heart-warming photo together at the fighter hotel, the pair shared a tense face-off at the ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of their clash.
The pair could be seen arguing back and forth in their native Russian tongue. According to a translation, they were arguing about who accepted the fight first.
The former interim title challenger stated during his pre-fight media appearance that "everything changed" after Volkov accepted the bout. Also stating that they were not "friends", but merely teammates who had helped one another through their careers.
During their final face-off ahead of UFC Saudi Arabia, Volkov could be heard asking Pavlovich why he claimed that 'Drago' had accepted the fight first. It seems that the pair had an agreement not to fight one another unless the fight was for UFC gold.
Both men claim to have been told by the UFC that the other fighter had accepted the bout, suggesting that the promotion has hoodwinked the heavyweights.
Watch the tense Sergei Pavlovich-Alexander Volkov face-off below:
Alexander Volkov discusses how he ended up fighting Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia
Sergei Pavlovich is without a doubt one of the most feared knockout artists in MMA, holding six wins in the UFC, with all six coming via KO/TKO. His last outing came against Tom Aspinall, a knockout artist in his own right, with the pair vying for the chance to become an interim heavyweight champion.
Their clash was the UFC 295 co-main event, which Aspinall won via KO in Round 1. Pavlovich will make his first octagon appearance since the defeat and will take on fellow countryman Alexander Volkov.
But according to Volkov, he only found out about his clash with Pavlovich after the fight was officially announced, which could help explain the drama of their final face-off.
Following the fight's announcement, he was captured by Match TV saying this:
"I found out about this fight when it was already announced... The UFC, as I understand it, received a 'yes' from Sergei Pavlovich’s team, because they replied that they would agree if I agreed. As far as I understand, this card is important for the UFC and Dana White, so few people asked my consent here."
See Alexander Volkov's comments below: