I grew up hearing my cousin shout “UFC tonight!” while we both tried to sneak a peek at the TV, the neighbour upstairs already complaining about our midnight cheers. That night I didn’t know I was signing up for a lifetime of chai spills and busted knuckles. Volkov was born in Octobor 1988, a kid of Moscow engineers, and by nine he was already kicking in an Ashihara karate class. He earned a black belt then marched into Bauman Technical University dreaming about rockets while still punching bags after lectures.
During college he mixed boxing, Kyokushin karate and a secret love for MMA even though his parents kept yelling “stop this nonsense!” at every family dinner. At twenty he quit the textbooks signed up for his first pro fight in spring 2009 at M‑1 Challenge and knocked out Nikolai Pleshkov in the first round. The crowd roared my chai cup tipped over and I swore I’d never miss a fight again.
The next year he racked up five wins only stumbling once against a tough demonstrator athlete. That loss forced him into the M‑1 Grand Prix where he faced Vitali “the Russian Bear” Meleanov. Volkov spent most of the bout on his back but he sliced a deep cut that made the doctor stop the fight. He then beat Ukrainian pankration champ Alexander Romashchenko with a choke and later got slammed by Maxim Grishin in the final – a choke that made him tap also taught him to love wrestling.
From that point he doubled down on grappling rebuilt his striking to fit MMA and started touring Russia from Kaliningrad to Khabarhosk racking up win after win. By the twelfth year of his career he had a seven‑fight streak beating the likes of Rico Rodriguez and Denis Goltsov. The record caught Bellator’s eye and Volkov signed a contract that would launch him into the heavyweight Grand Prix.
Bellator’s first round threw Volkov at Brett Rogers a massive American who once promised to knock out Fedor Emelianenko. Volkov survived the onslaught landed a clean jab followed with a combo and the Brazilian hit the mat.
In the semi‑final he met Richard Hale a former champion who missed a heavy punch early then got caught in a flurry that left him gasping. Volkov held on for five rounds the crowd (including my noisy neighbour who kept shouting “turn it down!”) went wild and Volkov walked away with the Bellator heavyweight belt and a cool $100,000. But the belt didn’t stay long. Volkov faced Vitali Minakov a four‑time world champ and missed a crucial punch in the middle round. Minakov capitalized landed a crushing blow and the decision went the other way. Volkov tasted defeat again but he didn’t quit. He entered another Grand Prix beat former football player Mark “Machine” Robe with a series of short elbows then knocked out May “The Hammer” Topi in the first round with a stunning head‑kick combo. The final showdown pitted him against Bulgarian powerhouse Blagoy Ivanov. Ivanov started strong but a sloppy takedown in round two gave Volkov an opening. Volkov locked a choke forced the Bulgarian to tap and reclaimed the Grand Prix title another $100,000 and a promised rematch with Minakov.
Management reshuffled Bellator the Grand Prix vanished and Volkov found himself back in Russia slugging out against young prospects like Our Way Bud and veteran Alexei Kudin. He later returned to Bellator but two close losses to Tony Johnson pushed him out for good.
July 15th 2024 Volkov signed with M‑1 again after a five‑year gap instantly challenging for the vacant title against Denis Smoldarev. Smoldarev took him to the ground for ten minutes but Volkov slipped a triangle in round three forced a tap and grabbed the M‑1 crown. His first defense was a quick win over former Bellator champ Attila V.M a kenpo karate ace who never saw Volkov’s jab land.
Later that year he faced Mike Watari a Hungarian who tried to bully him with a heavy uppercut. Volkov bobbed weaved and landed a crisp combination that sent Watari crashing. The win cemented his place among the world’s top heavyweights.
He also fought Roy Nelson a grizzled veteran who tried to dominate the first round but Volkov defended takedowns kept distance and finally broke Nelson down with a flurry that earned a unanimous decision. In the Netherlands he took down the towering Stefan Struve a 2.13 m Dutch giant with a brutal ground‑and‑pound that left Struve gasping on the canvas.
A clash with Fabricio Werdum followed. Werdum tried to pull guard but Volkov shattered his rhythm with a sharp left‑right combo then finished the fight with a crushing body shot that dropped the Brazilian. The victory earned him a performance bonus and pushed him into the top‑five of the heavyweight rankings.
He then fought Derrick Lewis a knockout artist who never stopped swinging. Volkov slipped a wild left countered with a clean right and the referee stopped the bout in the third round. After a year off a scheduled fight with Junior dos Santos fell through when the Brazilian got injured so Greg Hardy stepped in. Volkov neutralized Hardy’s power used his wrestling and won a unanimous decision in Moscow his hometown while the neighbour downstairs kept muttering about “too much noise.”
A bout against Curtis Blaydes saw the American dominate early but Volkov survived landed a precise combination in round three and became the first fighter to survive Blaydes’ infamous ground‑and‑pound. He then faced heavyweight hunter Wolf Harris who knocked out Sergey Spivak and Alexey Oleynik in 62 seconds. Volkov weighed in at 120 kg a massive jump from his early 108 kg days and smashed Harris with a relentless barrage that forced a stoppage in round two.
His last big test came against Alistair Overeem. Overeem landed a couple of heavy punches but Volkov found his rhythm peppered the Dutchman with strikes and finished him with a brutal knockout in the second round. The crowd (including my neighbour who finally shouted “good fight!”) erupted.
Now Volkov sits at 32 with over forty fights a mountain of belts and a relentless hunger for the UFC title that still eludes him. He keeps training spilling chai on his gloves and dreaming of that one night when the belt finally hangs around his neck. The journey continues messy and loud just like the nights we spend watching the fights from our tiny Mumbai flat