On April 28thth at M-1 Challenge XXV: Zavurov vs. Magomedov 2 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Red Devil Sports Club stand-out, Alexander Volkov takes his 10-3 professional mixed martial arts record into the ring intent on destroying newcomer Denis Goltsov and to secure a future shot to stand under the heavyweight championship spotlights. Eclipsing his loss against Pat Bennett with a recent win, Volkov needs to show a definitive performance if he hopes to regain the respect of fans and get back into title contention. Catch the heavyweight action by tuning-in to the official live stream on M-1 Global website, www.M-1Global.com at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST.
Volkov’s most notable performance came in December 2009, after only eight months as a professional fighter, when Volkov faced the highly experienced Ibragim Magomedov at M-1 Challenge 20: 2009 Finals. Coming in as the fight’s massive underdog, Volkov wasn’t even expected to make it out of the opening round, let alone go the full 15 minutes. Giving his all, Volkov won via unanimous decision and was awarded the M-1 Global ring for ‘exceptional performance’.
Volkov also made a solid run through the 2010 M-1 Selection Eastern European tournament where he took victories in the opening round and the semi-finals over Vitali Yalovenko and Alexander Romaschenko respectively. However the drive towards the Selection heavyweight crown was halted in the finals after falling victim to Maxim Grishin via rear naked choke in the first round.
The 23-year-old Volkov appears to have shaken off the loss to Pat Bennett and is on course to return to the winning ways and style he is known for. As a considerable threat in M-1 Global’s heavyweight division; standing 6’7” and a nimble 220 pounds, the young fighter stands confidently on the canvass. The exposure to training alongside the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Viktor Nemkov, Gegard Mousasi and Amar Suloev is apparent as Volkov is highly capable of fighting from his back, able to strike with the precision of a surgeon, effective in the clinch and possesses a tough chin.
The bout against Goltsov should mark only a momentary road block on his path to a future shot at the heavyweight belt. With Goltsov proving to be effective in avoiding strikes, possessing an always-improving ground game with a potent submission arsenal and packing one-punch knock-out power, Volkov has to impose an effective stand-up game plan that leverages his reach advantage to set up aggressive, rapid-fire combinations; he needs to have this bout mapped out and stick to his strategy in order to walk away victorious and get back on path towards the ultimate goal – a shot at the M-1 Challenge heavyweight gold.
Alexander Volkov highlight video:
Free LIVE broadcast coverage of M-1 Challenge XXV: Zavurov vs. Magomedov 2 from St. Petersburg, Russia will be available to viewers worldwide on the official M-1 Global website (www.M-1Global.com) and select affiliate partner sites starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00am PST on Thursday April 28th.
M-1 Challenge XXV teaser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvmlMHZrFpg
