Heavyweights co-headline UFC 293!
Former Bellator Champion Alexander ‘Drago’ Volkov returns against heavy-hitting fan-favorite Tai Tuivasa in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The bout goes down from the Qudos Bank Arena, right before the middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland.
Round 1:
Tuivasa lands a leg kick to begin the fight. Volkov and Tuivasa trade body shots. Volkov lands a right hand. Tuivasa comes into the pocket, trying to land big but isn’t able to. Volkov lands a huge counter right that momentarily puts Tuivasa down. Tuivasa gets back up only to get battered by ‘Drago’s’ powerful punches.
Volkov lands a beautiful headkick. Tuivasa throws a leg kick. Tuivasa head-hunts Volkov, applying constant pressure. Volkov stuns Tuivasa with a right hand. Volkov throws elbows at ‘Bam Bam’. Leg kicks from Tuivasa land, but Volkov unloads punches and bunches on Tuivasa.
CDS: 10-9 Volkov
Round 2:
Tuivasa goes for leg kicks and head shots on Volkov. The towering Volkov eats more leg kicks. Volkov stuns Tuivasa with a punch. Volkov strings together a strong combo. Volkov puts Tuivasa off balance and follows him to the mat. Tuivasa gets back up. Tuivasa stumbles to the ground once again. Volkov lands ground and pound from top position. Volkov looks for submissions but tags him with punches until he finds an Ezekiel choke. Tuivasa taps out!
Official result: Alexander Volkov defeats Tai Tuivasa via submission (Ezekiel choke) in round 2 (4:37)
Check out the highlights below:
VOLKOV BY SUBMISSION!!😱@AlexDragoVolkov ends this one with an ezekiel choke in the second round! #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/orIobGqDej
— UFC (@ufc) September 10, 2023
