Alexander Volkov weighs in on UFC title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane

Alexander Volkov will have his eyes peeled for the expected next UFC heavyweight title fight.

All signs are pointing to Tom Aspinall's first title defense since getting promoted to UFC heavyweight champion to be against Ciryl Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC). Having fought both fighters, top contender Volkov (38-11 MMA, 12-5 UFC) gave his take on the matchup.

"(The fight is) 50-50, I think," Volkov told MMA Junkie. "Both of them are good, and Ciryl Gane, he's really good with his movement, with his legs and everything. He's not so bad at grappling now. He started working a lot on his grappling and his ground skills, so I think it's 50-50.

"It depends how the fight starts, how both of them will be prepared for this fight. I saw that Gane will be motivated a lot for this fight to get the belt. It's 50-50, but on paper, when I fought both of them, Tom Aspinall looks better. But in the fight, it could go any way."

Volkov faced Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 204 headliner in March 2022, losing by first-round submission. He then went on a four-fight winning streak until dropping a controversial split decision to Gane in his most recent outing at UFC 310 this past December.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkov predicts Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane UFC title fight