Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov, in an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, discussed if the UFC leadership is interested in him winning the belt.
Right now, Ciryl Gane or Tom Aspinall are more attractive to them. The problem is not that I’m Russian, but that they are more popular among the American and international viewers. It doesn’t depend on your nationality but on how you present yourself, build your media presence: you need to show up and have exciting fights. It’s about how much you’ll be sold and watched. Even if Aspinall or Gane are more interesting than me, the reason is not that I am Russian.
"The UFC are not really interested in athletes just because fans in their country root for them. The UFC are interested in those who will have fans regardless of where they were born. Some countries may not have a very large audience. For example, people root for Jiri Prochazka not because he represents the Czech Republic. Many Americans like him. Jiri has a bright, unique personality. Vadim Nemkov fought him, and now probably Nemkov is stronger than Prochazka. He has more titles. But Jiri has many advantages, so fans from other countries support him. Prochazka has exciting fights and has a media presence outside the octagon. He always promotes fights and offers what others don’t.
Here in Russia, athletes only offer the fact that they are from Russia. It would be good to think in that direction and offer something more. You need to be memorable, able to communicate, put on spectacular fights, and so on. These things play a significant role. Wins and losses come and go, so it’s more important to be remembered in any fight. Such things affect signing decisions, and who the UFC wants to see as a champion and who it doesn’t,” Volkov said.
Recall that Alexander Volkov’s next fight will be against Jailton Almeida on October 25 in Abu Dhabi at the UFC 321 event. Volkov has 38 wins and 11 losses and is in the heavyweight top 3. Almeida has won 22 of 25 professional fights and is ranked fifth.
