Alexander Volkov's cornrows look at UFC 310 has Darren Till drawing comparisons with Paddy Pimblett: "It's scary"

Alexander Volkov's UFC 310 was defined by two things: a controversial split-decision loss to Ciryl Gane and comparisons to Paddy Pimblett. The latest person to echo the second point is former UFC middleweight Darren Till, who took to X with his patented humor.

During the bout, Volkov sported cornrows for the first time in his career, which drew comparisons to Pimblett, who also braids his hair in cornrows for fights. This led to Till remarking on the resemblance between the pair, poking some light fun at both Volkov and Pimblett.

"I can't believe how much Volkov looks like Paddy it's scary. I thought Paddy had a growth spert [spurt]"

Till wasn't the only one to make the aforementioned observation. Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier, who was on commentary duty for UFC 310, described Volkov as a seven-foot-tall Pimblett. Unfortunately, humor is likely the last thing on Volkov's mind.

Volkov authored a valiant effort, and had done enough to emerge victorious over Gane in most people's books. He held his own in the striking department and edged 'Bon Gamin' out in the grappling sequences, but the judges saw the fight differently, awarding Gane the win.

Yet, even the Frenchman seemed displeased with the verdict, leaving the octagon prematurely before returning for his post-fight interview, where he expressed both disbelief and dissatisfaction over his performance. He also praised Volkov as an opponent, but the Russian is unlikely to care for consolation prizes.

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Alexander Volkov's fight with Ciryl Gane was his first-ever rematch

A glimpse at Alexander Volkov's record reveals a curious detail: he had never been in a rematch until UFC 310, where he took on Ciryl Gane. Their outing, though, was nothing like their first, which was an uneventful but dominant win for the former UFC interim heavyweight champion.

Instead, the rematch was far more competitive, with Volkov showing significant improvements to his game by slightly outwrestling Gane and even landing some consequential strikes on the feet, including a thunderous spinning back-fist that knocked the taste out of Gane's mouth.