5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

#2. Alexander Volkov – defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a UFC heavyweight bout

Alexander Volkov managed to stop Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round of their clash

It didn’t come without a little bit of controversy, but in the battle of heavyweight strikers that served as last night’s headline bout, Alexander Volkov came out on top by stopping Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round.

Despite the bout lasting a little over two minutes, it was certainly entertaining. The two big men went toe-to-toe from the off, and after Rozenstruik seemed to stun ‘Drago’ with a quick combination, it was the Russian who really opened up.

He staggered ‘Bigi Boy’ with a harsh right hand, and then opened up with a wild combination that looked to have the native of Suriname out on his feet. However, before he could really switch his lights off, referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the bout.

Was the stoppage justified? It’s debatable. Post-fight, Rozenstruik seemed to believe he could’ve continued, but the replays definitely confirmed that he was in trouble. Naturally, we’ll never know the truth, which did take some shine from Volkov’s win.

Despite this, ‘Drago’ will remain part of the UFC’s top 10 at heavyweight, guaranteeing himself another big fight next time out. That means it’s hard not to consider him a big winner overall.

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#1. Movsar Evloev – defeated Dan Ige in a UFC featherweight bout

Movsar Evloev was impressive in his victory over Dan Ige

The biggest winner from last night’s event was undoubtedly Movsar Evloev. Not only did the Russian retain his unbeaten UFC run by picking up his sixth octagon win and his 16th MMA victory overall, but he thoroughly dominated the highly-rated Dan Ige en route to a unanimous decision.

Many fans expected Ige, a reliable brawler, to test Evloev, particularly on the feet. In all honesty, that wasn’t the case. ‘Dynamite’ couldn’t get anything of note going, and actually ate the bigger shots standing, including some hefty right hands and a couple of flying knees, too.

While the Hawaiian’s chin held up, he couldn’t stop Evloev’s offense, nor could he prevent his takedowns. In the end, it came as no surprise when the Russian was awarded the win.

Where does Evloev go from here? Given Ige was ranked at No.10 in the featherweight division coming into this bout, the likelihood is that he’ll at least supplant the Hawaiian’s spot there, if not climb a little higher.

That means that a big fight with someone like Chan Sung Jung could beckon. If he can beat an opponent like that, then the sky is genuinely the limit for him.