Alexander Volkov furious with UFC 310 judges over 'bullsh*t' decision loss to Ciryl Gane

12/08/2024 10:00 AM

Alexander Volkov thought he did enough to beat Ciryl Gane this time.

Three years after their first meeting, a unanimous decision win for Gane, he and Volkov again went to the scorecards Saturday at UFC 310 with Gane again coming out on top. Their rematch ended in a narrower margin, as Gane walked out with a split decision in his favor.

At the evening's post-fight presser, Volkov immediately addressed his issues with the scoring.

"It was a bullshit decision, for sure," Volkov said. "I don't know what we're going to do with the decision, I'm absolutely sure that I won the fight. I did much more than Gane in all the fight. I do not know who scored this fight with him, who are the judges, how they decide this... I don't see any damage from him to me and I don't understand why he won the fight."

In addition to the striking expected of the two heavyweight sluggers, the bout featured plenty of grappling as well. Gane showed a new focus on battling Volkov on the ground, attacking with submissions, while Volkov focused on working to gain top position.

Whatever Gane was doing was apparently enough to convince two of the judges, Adalaide Byrd and Junichiro Kamiko, to score the first two rounds for Gane. It was a development that shocked Volkov, and he thinks Gane's team were just as surprised.

"I saw the eyes of his team, and they didn't expect this," Volkov said. "They didn't expect the decision, and he was upset, so my respect to Ciryl Gane. He wasn't like a guy who just walked out from the cage after the decision, because he didn't feel this, too. Nothing bad to my opponent, I just don't accept with the commission. I can't agree with this."

When informed that Byrd was one of the judges involved in the widely panned decision that saw Canelo Alvarez escape with a split draw against Gennady Golovkin in September 2017, Volkov was even more confused by how the scoring played out.

"The same judge who judged boxing and MMA and absolutely doesn't understand—I don't know how it's possible," Volkov said. "This is the fighting capital of the world, the UFC for sure, and I don't want to say about all the commission, for sure I know it works with good, professional guys, but how it's possible the same person can judge two different kinds of sports, and she have absolutely bad decision in one."

"I don't understand how a person that is not professionally learned in this sport can either not be re-qualified to judge this sport or just not f*cking fired," Volkov added with assistance from a Russian translator.

Volkov was asked if he would appeal and he said his team will put in the paperwork, though he doesn't believe it will change the result as it's extraordinarily rare that commissions overturn decisions barring clear evidence of impropriety.

At least Volkov knows the UFC has his back as he spoke to UFC CEO Dana White immediately after the score was read. According to Volkov, White agreed that Volkov got a raw deal, and used his typically colorful language to show his supoprt.

"He said—sorry for my English—I was 'fucked up with the judges,' kind of this," Volkov said. "I appreciated to the bosses of UFC, they saw everything with his own eyes and they have a similar opinion, but they can't influence the commission.

"It's kind of the weak point in all of MMA sport, maybe in boxing, too, because sometimes we're watching the boxing, too, and see some bullshit decision, but in MMA with just three rounds—You know, we did so many in the camp and gym to promote the fight, everything, I'm feeling this just after the woman who just I don't know if she's working on her skills, on her own skills to judge the fights or she just sometimes comes to watch the fights because she likes it. And give the victory wherever she likes, maybe she more like the body of Ciryl Gane. I don't know why."