Ground game
30 DThin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain.
- 0.57 takedowns / 15 at 67% accuracy
- 0.23 submission attempts / 15 · 4 career sub wins
Heavyweight
“Drago”
40-11
SLpM
4.78
SApM
3.28
Str Acc
64%
Str Def
58%
TD Avg
0.57
TD Acc
67%
TD Def
100%
Sub Avg
0.23
Pocket striker
Fight IQ
Thin sample — 2 loaded UFC rows, 51 career fights for Alexander Volkov. Reaction and agility are wider intervals.
IQ
Ground
Defense
Counter
Reaction
proxy
Agility
proxy
TD react
Chin
Durability
Gets through fire. Rarely finished by strikes; the later minutes are still theirs to win.
Takedown reaction
Can stuff the first shot. Chain wrestling and the second entry are the real test.
Ground game
Thin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain.
Alexander Volkov “Drago” is a 37-year-old Orthodox heavyweight out of Russia, camped at Strela Team. The tape read: pocket striker. Career mark 40-11-0 — 9 by KO/TKO, 4 by submission, 27 by decision. Fight IQ grades B (72).
What works. Durability is the standout at 89 (A). Gets through fire. Rarely finished by strikes; the later minutes are still theirs to win. Ground game D on 0.57 TD/15 and 0.23 sub attempts. Striking defense C+ at 58% / 3.28 SApM. Counter punching C+; punching agility C+ (output × accuracy × age curve). Takedown reaction B on 100% TD defense. These are tape proxies — not lab reaction times — built from FightMetric rates, finish shares, and 2 loaded UFC rows.
Where it breaks. Ground game is the soft spot (30, D). Thin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain. Opponents who force wrestling and keep the fight on the fence have historically been the ones who make this résumé leak. Losses lean decision more often than a highlight — the issue is usually control of minutes, not a glass jaw.
Recent tape (2 bouts): W Acosta (Decision - Unanimous R3) · W Tuivasa (Submission R2). Form index positive over the last 2. 1 of those wins reached the championship minutes — cardio and late IQ are real.
Thin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain.
Eats more than a championship pocket should. High SApM or a porous guard will get taxed against power.
Limited counter threat. Opponents can miss without paying a finishing tax.
Average-plus reactions. Gets touched, but rarely frozen in place when the shot or the shot-to-takedown comes.
Enough snap to score and to threaten. Not a blur, but the volume is organized.
Can stuff the first shot. Chain wrestling and the second entry are the real test.
Gets through fire. Rarely finished by strikes; the later minutes are still theirs to win.
Next
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs. Evloevvs Rizvan Kuniev · model 69%
| Date | Opponent | Res | Method | Rnd | Sig |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2026 | Waldo Cortes Acosta | W | Decision - Unanimous | 3 5:00 | 88/143 |
| Sep 10, 2023 | Tai Tuivasa | W | Submission | 2 4:37 | 93/143 |