Alexander Volkov doesn’t know what the cageside judges saw during his rematch with Cyril Gane at UFC 310.
Volkov dropped a controversial split decision to Gane in a marquee heavyweight showdown Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Frenchman dominated their first encounter in June 2021, but Volkov appeared to be making the necessary adjustments in their second encounter. When the final verdict was announced, even Gane, who walked out of the Octagon without giving any post-fight interviews, seemed confused by the verdict.
“I looked into his team’s eyes and they weren’t expecting this,” Volkov said during the post-fight media scrum (video via MMAjunkie.com). “He was upset because they didn’t expect this decision. So, with all due respect to Cyril Gane, he was not the kind of fighter who would come out of the cage after the decision. Because he didn’t feel it either. There’s nothing wrong with him, I just can’t accept the commission.”
According to the official scorecard released by the UFC, judges Adelaide Byrd and Junichiro Kamijo both scored the first two rounds in Gane’s favor, with “Bon Gamin” ultimately winning by split decision. did. Meanwhile, Eric Colon handed Volkov a score of 29-28.
“Certainly, it was a bullish decision,” Volkov said. “I don’t know what we will do about this decision. I am absolutely convinced that I won the fight. I did much more than Gain in every fight. I don’t know who scored this match, who the judges were, how they decided this match…I didn’t take any damage from him and I don’t understand why he won the match. .”
Volkov, 36, had won his last four UFC bouts before Saturday night, including a victory over former interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich in June of this year. A disappointing result at UFC 310 slowed the former Bellator and M-1 Global Champion’s momentum, but he can find some solace in the fact that UFC CEO Dana White is in a corner. The two were also seen talking shortly after Volkov left the Octagon.
“He said — excuse my English — I was like, ‘I’m tired of the judges,'” Volkov said. “I’m grateful to the leadership of the UFC. They see everything with their own eyes and have a similar opinion, but they can’t influence the commission…”
