Volkov Says Gane's Belt Loses Meaning Against Showman Hokit

Alexander Volkov no longer sees the UFC heavyweight belt as proof of who the best fighter in the division is. Speaking to MMA Fighting before UFC 333, he pointed to Ciryl Gane's title defense, set for UFC 334 on Nov. 14 against Josh Hokit.

Volkov has won six of his last seven fights. His only loss in that stretch was a controversial split decision against Gane, the current undisputed champion. Since then Gane has received two title shots, against Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira. Hokit, his next opponent, began fighting MMA when Volkov already had a record of 11-4 in the UFC and 37-10 overall.

"Is Ciryl Gane a real champion right now?"

Earlier this year Volkov described Gane's interim title fight with Pereira as "more like a promotional or media fight" than a "true title fight." After seeing Gane commit fouls in his UFC White House fight and then draw the "loud" Hokit, he says the belt means something different again.

"Is Ciryl Gane a real champion right now? He is real if he has a belt," Volkov said. "But what means his belt right now? This is the question. Maybe it loses the meaning all fans want it to have."

In Volkov's view, title shots now go to fighters who are simply more famous, whatever the route to fame. If Hokit wins, he said, the message would be that a fighter has to be a showman to get the belt. He wants the belt to go to someone who can beat everybody, does not talk much and fights without cheating. "If I will have the belt, the belt will have meaning," he said.

Kuniev next, then a title shot

Volkov returns on Saturday at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi against the lower-ranked Rizvan Kuniev. He comes in on a two-fight winning streak over Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jailton Almeida, and he signed a new multi-fight deal with the UFC that he called "very good" shortly before the event.

He believes a win would put him in line for a title shot regardless of what happens when Pereira meets Sergei Pavlovich on Dec. 12 at UFC 335. Pereira is 0-1 at heavyweight. Volkov admitted the decision depends on whether the people who make it like the fight, and said he can only do his job.

"Of course, I would like to fight somebody higher in the ranking to get close to the title, but who can be closer to the title than me, who is No. 2 in ranking?" Volkov said. He described the fight with Kuniev as "just show for show" that earns him money and tests his skills.

Source: MMA Fighting