Alexander Volkov knocks out Fabricio Werdum at UFC London
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The giant Russian is now a true contender for the UFC heavyweight title
Russian heavyweight Alexander ‘Drago’ Volkov, showed the sort of power his namesake from Rocky IV would have been proud of, as he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC London on Saturday night.
Werdum’s list of victims read like a who’s who of heavyweight MMA, but Volkov showed great patience, and excellent submission defence, as he effectively shut down Werdum’s elite-level grappling and took the bout into the latter rounds.
And, with Werdum already sporting a swollen right eye heading into the fourth round, Volkov struck.
The 6ft 7in Russian unloaded a multi-punch combination that dropped Werdum, and with the Brazilian grounded, he then knocked him out with a huge punch.
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Volkov’s win will almost certainly propel him into championship contention. Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier set to meet for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 226 this summer, but after finishing one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world in emphatic fashion, the man known as ‘Drago’ may well be next in line.
Jan’s the man in co-main event rematch
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The co-main event saw a back and forth war as Poland’s Jan Blachowicz dropped British star Jimi Manuwa en route to a unanimous decision victory after a thrilling light-heavyweight battle in the second meeting between the pair.
Blachowicz lost to Manuwa when the pair first met in Poland back in 2015, but the big Pole looked vastly improved the second time around, hurting Manuwa in the opening round, then expertly using his jab to keep the heavy-handed Brit at bay as he ran out a 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 winner on the scorecards.
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Also on the main card, Birmingham welterweight Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards scored a last-second stoppage of seasoned veteran Peter Sobotta, then grabbed the microphone to call out fellow Brit Darren Till, who was sat at octagonside.
Edwards had to battle hard through all three rounds against Sobotta, who was a constant submission threat during the contest.
But the Brit managed to finish the German-born Pole with ground strikes in the final seconds, with referee Rich Mitchell calling off the fight one second before the buzzer.
Edwards then called out Till to fight in the main event at the upcoming UFC event in Liverpool on May 27. However, Till looked less than impressed with the call-out.
There was also a win for French star Tom Duquesnoy, who edged an entertaining back-and-forth battle with Terrion Ware in their bantamweight contest - although the American seemed unimpressed with the decision.
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Hat-trick heroes light up the prelims
There were mixed results for the British fighters on the preliminary card, with Welsh middleweight debutant John Phillips, English heavyweight Mark Godbeer and Scottish lightweight Stevie Ray all coming away with losses.
But a hat-trick of finishes from British stars had the crowd at The O2 on their feet.
Scottish light-heavyweight Paul Craig looked to be on his way to a shutout defeat after three tough rounds against Russian Magomed Ankalaev.
But, with his back on the canvas and trapped against the cage fence, Craig managed to lock up a last-gasp triangle choke to claim a stunning submission win in the very last second of the contest.
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That incredible win fired up the British crowd, and seemed to inspire the next two Brits, as Craig’s fellow countryman Danny Henry scored an equally impressive win, submitting highly-rated Canadian prospect Hakeem Dawodu in just 39 seconds with a guillotine choke.
And Henry’s quickfire win was swiftly followed by another, as England’s Danny Roberts showcased his striking arsenal, as he produced a perfectly-placed counter left to finish Swedish welterweight Oliver Enkamp with a spectacular one-punch knockout.
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