Alexander Volkov says UFC heavyweight belt has lost its meaning with Ciryl Gane vs Josh Hokit

Alexander Volkov has questioned the value of the UFC heavyweight championship ahead of Ciryl Gane's first title defense against Josh Hokit at UFC 334. Speaking to MMA Fighting before his own fight with Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 24, the Russian veteran said title shots are now handed out for fame rather than results.

'What means his belt right now?'

Volkov has won six of his last seven fights. The only loss in that run was a split decision to Gane, which MMA Fighting describes as controversial. Since then, Gane has fought Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira in title fights and now defends the belt against Hokit on November 14 at Madison Square Garden.

"Is Ciryl Gane a real champion right now? He is real if he has a belt," Volkov told MMA Fighting. "But what means his belt right now? This is the question. Maybe it loses the meaning all fans want it to have. Like, we want to trust it's the most powerful, skilled fighter in the world."

He added that fighters now "can get fights, title shots [for] just being more famous, and doesn't matter how you [became] famous."

Volkov also pointed to the fouls in Gane's recent fights. He said the belt now means "a champion who can eye poke somebody in a fight, kick a groin or do something else, and then knock out guys." Gane's first fight with Aspinall at UFC 321 ended in a no contest after Aspinall was poked in both eyes. Gane then won the interim title by knocking out Pereira, and was later elevated to undisputed champion when Aspinall vacated the belt.

Volkov called Hokit "a guy who is just very loud right now, kind of showman" and said a Hokit win would mean "now you should be a showman to get the belt." Earlier this year he had already told MMA Fighting that Gane vs Pereira was "more like a promotional or media fight" than a true title fight.

"If I will have the belt, the belt will have meaning," Volkov said.

'Show for show' against Kuniev

Instead of a title eliminator, Volkov faces the lower-ranked Kuniev on Saturday, despite back-to-back wins over Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jailton Almeida. According to MMA Fighting, he signed a new multi-fight UFC deal, which he called "very good", before the event. He believes a win could still earn him a title shot, whatever happens between Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on December 12. He admitted that "it depends on if someone who makes the decision likes the fight."

"Of course, I would like to fight somebody higher in the ranking to get close to the title, but who can be closer to the title than me, who is No. 2 in ranking?" Volkov said. "It's just show for show. I'm earning money, I do my job, I'm challenging myself."

What's next

• Volkov vs Kuniev is on the UFC 333 card at Etihad Arena on October 24. Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev is the main event.
• Gane (14-2, 1 NC) defends the heavyweight title against unbeaten Hokit (10-0) in the UFC 334 main event on November 14.
• Pereira faces Pavlovich at UFC 335 on December 12.

Neither Gane nor Hokit had responded to Volkov's comments at the time of publication.