Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall believes the winner of the heavyweight clash between Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida will become the next title contender.
Tom Aspinall, quoted by Bloody Elbow
That’s how I see it, and I think that’s pretty obvious. I actually thought that Volkov won the fight against Gane, to be honest. I think Volkov is in really good form right now. I do think Almeida is good. I’ve not seen enough of Almeida’s game to say how good he actually is. At this point, it’s hard to say, but I would favor Volkov in that one.
Volkov and Almeida will meet on October 25, in Abu Dhabi at UFC 321.
Almeida most recently competed in January 2025 at UFC 311, where he defeated Serghei Spivac via first-round TKO. His record stands at 22 wins and three losses.
Volkov’s last fight was against Ciryl Gane in December 2024 at UFC 310; he lost by split decision after going the distance. Volkov’s record is 38 wins and 11 losses.
