Edgar Chaput
March 9, 2023

Alexander Volkov vs Alexandr Romanov: UFC Fight Night 221 Odds, Prediction

The Moldovan Romanov will be looking to bounce back from the first defeat of his professional career last summer, whereas the Russian Volkov hopes to ride the wings of momentum earned in his most recent tilt.

The MMA savants have pinned Romanov as a -165 favourite on the UFC odds. His opposite number sits at +135.

Alexander Romanov -175
Alexander Volkov +135

Alexander Volkov

The 34-year-old Moscovite has suffered far more defeats than this Saturday’s opponent, but he’s also been involved in a greater number of fisticuffs. 35-10 is nothing to sneeze at. Representing Strela Team out of the Russian capital, his pugilistic aptitudes are many and varied. Brown belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kyokushin karate, and a black belt in Tsu Shin Gen all speak to his many methods of attack and defence.

His recent tilts have been up and down. Back in October of 2021 at UFC 267, he tasted success via a unanimous decision in his favour versus Marcin Tybura. However, his momentum was halted a few months later at UFC Fight Night 204 in March 2022 when he came face-to-face with Tom Aspinall. Unfortunately, he did not make it out of the first round as Aspinall got him in an armbar submission. The disappointment was short-lived, however. Just a few months later in June, the man nicknamed “Drago” got back on his feet and earned a technical knockout win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Fight Night 207.

“Drago” is a larger man than Romanov. Not only does he weigh an extra 16 pounds, but both his arm and leg reach are superior (80 inches to 75 for the arm and 47.5 to 43 for legs). That 66 per cent of his victories come via KO or TKO reminds us of his various strategies and modes of attack. He doesn’t seem to mind spending significant time in the ring either, as his fights last 13:37 on average to Romanov’s 8:42. Opponents need to proceed with caution because he dishes out a lot more significant strikes per minute than he takes (4.88 to 3.04) and his defence is a respectable 53 per cent.

Alexandr Romanov

Given his spectacular 16-1 record thus far, the Moldovan has more than earned the nickname “King Kong.” Making his presence in UFC all the more interesting is that he is one of the few participants to specialize in wrestling. No muay-thai, jiu-jitsu or boxing for him. Real old-school stuff.

The 32-year-old, who trains out of Comrat, Moldova for the Lion Club, was on an incredible run until recently. UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Rodriguez in October 2021 pitted him against Jared Vanderaa. The latter was no match, as Romanov vanquished his foe with a second-round technical knockout. There was a bump in the road for his follow-up when the tilt with Ilir Latifi in February 2022 was cancelled, but he eventually engaged in combat at UFC for ESPN 35 with Chase Sherman. For the 16^th consecutive time, King Kong won, this time thanks to a keylock submission in the initial round. It was in August of last year, at UFC 278, that the wrestler suffered his first defeat. He and Marcin Tybura went at it with intensity, and a controversial judge’s decision went ever so slightly in Tybura’s favour.

We established that Romanov does not possess the same stature as his opponent this weekend. So far, apart from that one fight, he’s found ways to win every time. He also takes care of business much faster than Volkov. While the Russian may land more significant hits per minute, the Moldavan is very good at avoiding them (1.86). Landing 3.78 every 60 seconds isn’t a stat to be overlooked either.