UFC Moscow: Alexander Volkov Defeats Greg Hardy Via Unanimous Decision

Alexander Volkov defeated Greg Hardy at UFC Moscow, and we need to say, that Drago did it without any trouble. It was a unanimous decision win, in which all three judges gave 30-27 edge to Volkov.

The Russian fighter was dominant throughout the entire fight, keeping his opponent on the distance, and harassing him with his left jab or left high-kicks. On several occasions, Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) received strong leg kicks to his head, but he didn’t go down. It was apparent that Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) had some ring rust, but the former Bellator champ wasn’t endangered at any point in this event. The difference in quality was simply too big between him and the ex-football player.

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Volkov was cautious, and he didn’t want to enter some exchanges with his rival, as he knew that Hardy’s strikes could do severe damage. Instead, he denied the initial surge and was slowly collecting points through significant strikes. In each round, Drago had at least one leg kick which reached Hardy’s head. Also, his jabs, especially the left one, did a lot of damage and slowed down the American fighter.

On the other side, Hardy lacked stamina, which was obvious at the end of the second round. He was breathing heavily and was looking pretty pale in the corner. This was his first fight with an elite fighter, and it seems that he needs to improve dramatically in order to make some success. Prince of War was trying to reach Volkov with jabs, but apart from a few punches which didn’t leave any traces on Drago’s face, there were no results.

His leg kicks were very modest, and they couldn’t present a problem to a kickboxer like Volkov.

Greg Hardy lost his MMA fight today against Alexander Volkov by unanimous decision

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— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 9, 2019

This was the first fight for Drago after more than a year and an upsetting loss to Derreck Lewis. Back then, he had everything in his hands, but suffered a knockout in the closing moments of the bout, losing a chance to have a shot at the title. Volkov only needed to finish the fight and to earn a win, as he had a huge advantage, according to the scorecards. He is now making a comeback and aims to get himself another opportunity to become one of the top contenders in the heavyweight division. Right now, Drago is No.7.

“I want to say thanks to everyone for the support,” Volkov said with the help of an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I had a full year with a bad side of my career, but I’m back and I fought for every one of you. Thank you to my wife, thank you for my team. I dedicate this fight to my mother.”

Meanwhile, Hardy learned the difference between the average fighters in the UFC and the ones who are in the upper echelon. He will need to improve a lot of things to become a respectable force in the organization, but until then, Hardy will be known more for his controversies than fighting skills.