BREAKING: Alexander Volkov to fight different opponent in Saudi Arabia as UFC 302 matchup reportedly gets switched

Alexander Volkov will face a different opponent in Saudi Arabia [Image via: @volkov_alex on Instagram]
Alexander Volkov will face a different opponent in Saudi Arabia [Image courtesy: @volkov_alex on Instagram]

Alexander Volkov is set to face a different opponent in his next fight.

After a lot of speculation, the UFC is finally headed to Saudi Arabia. Promotional frontman Dana White recently took to Instagram and announced that a Fight Night event is set to take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on June 22.

Check out Dana White's announcement below:

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Volkov will face fellow Russian Sergei Pavlovich in a heavyweight bout, after he was originally scheduled to fight Jailton Almeida at UFC 302 on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The reason behind the change is unknown.

In his last octagon outing, Volkov (37-10) beat Tai Tuivasa via second-round submission in September last year. He is currently on a three-fight win streak.

Meanwhile, Pavlovich (18-2) faced Tom Aspinall at UFC 295 for the interim heavyweight belt, losing via knockout in Round 1.

Per White, Khamzat Chimaev will face former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the headliner of the Fight Night card. The winner is likely to get a shot at the UFC middleweight title, currently held by Dricus du Plessis.

White also announced that Kelvin Gastelum will fight Daniel Rodriguez in a welterweight match, No.7-ranked Johnny Walker will face No.9-ranked Volkan Oezdemir in a light heavyweight bout, and rising contender Shara Magomedov will face Ihor Potieria in a middleweight bout.


A look back on Alexander Volkov's submission win over Tai Tuivasa

Alexander Volkov made history at UFC 293 by becoming the third fighter to win by submission with an Ezekiel choke.

Volkov faced Tai Tuivasa in the co-main event of UFC 293, held on Sept. 10 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

'Drago' won via submission in the second round and entered the exclusive group of fighters in the promotion with an Ezekiel choke victory, along with Remco Pardoel and Aleksei Oleinik.

An Ezekiel choke involves placing one arm behind your opponent's head and using another to grab their sleeve and put pressure on the neck or throat. The submission can be performed from any position, be it top, bottom, or standing.

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Edited by Anurag Mitra
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