Tom Aspinall believes he could beat Alexander Volkov again if there was a potential rematch.
Aspinall is scheduled to defend his interim heavyweight title in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC 304 on Saturday in Manchester, England, while Volkov is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Sergey Pavlovic at UFC Abu Dhabi last month. A fight between Volkov and Ciryl Gane is reportedly planned for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi in October, but “Drago” claimed a week before that he had not received a contract for the fight.
Meanwhile, lineal champion Jon Jones is currently sidelined with an injury and is scheduled to face former champion Stipe Miocic upon his return. With Miocic having not fought in over three years, Volkov considers Jones vs. Miocic more of a fantasy fight than an actual title fight. Volkov has recently called for a rematch with Aspinall, which could put him in a title unification bout with “Bones” if he wins.
“To save the world, the championship belt and the reputation of UFC, I first need to beat Aspinall and then beat Jon Jones to unify the interim and main heavyweight belts,” Volkov told Match TV (via Red Corner MMA). UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad airs Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order now! Aspinall submitted Volkov in the first round when they first met at UFC London in March 2022. “Honey Badger” has never underestimated Volkov, but believes he could knock out the Russian in the first round again in a potential rematch.
“The first fight didn’t go that well for him,” Aspinall told Red Corner MMA. “Well, I don’t know, but if it happens, it happens. I’m open to any fight. I’ve never turned down a fight in my life. Volkov is a solid guy, a solid opponent. I beat him in one round last time and I think I can beat him in one round this time too. No disrespect to Volkov, I think he’s solid, but I just think I’m better than him. But like I always say, in heavyweight MMA, no two fights are the same. He definitely has the skills to beat me. I’m not saying anything bad about him, but I think I’m way better, skill-wise. No disrespect to him, but I like him, but that’s just my opinion.”
Aspinall also spoke of his fondness for Russian fighters in general, which he attributes mainly to the “respectful” attitude he has seen from them.
“From my personal experience with the Russians, they’re really polite, really positive, fun to be around, really good people,” Aspinall said. “Like I said before, this isn’t anybody else’s experience, it’s my experience. And as fighters, they’re just solid. They’re good all around. They’re lifelong fighters, just like me, at least the guys I’ve fought have been. And, at least from my experience, they’re just solid, polite guys.”
