All the focus in the heavyweight division lately has been on how Jon Jones reluctance to defend his heavyweight title is affecting interim champ Tom Aspinall, but now Alexander Volkov has spoken out about his own frustration that the division is being left in limbo.
“As a fighter, of course, I have a negative opinion of the delay in the Jones-Aspinall fight, since my chances to fight for the championship title are getting smaller, and time is running out,” Volkov told Russian outlet championat.com (translated). “In other weight categories, there is a real conveyor belt of fights. That’s why I am unhappy. So I would have had a chance to test myself in a title fight a long time ago, if it weren’t for Jon Jones.”
The 36-year-old Volkov is actually coming off a split-decision loss to former interim champion Ciryl Gane at the end of last year, but he had been on a four-fight winning streak prior to that, beating the likes of Sergei Pavlovich, Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik along the way.
Interestingly, Volkov doesn’t point the finger of blame at Jones so much as at the UFC brass themselves for allowing him to take far more time out than any other champion would be allowed to.
“But I can understand him. If I were in Jones’ place, with his position, the goal of earning the maximum amount of money and the desire to fight when it is convenient for him, then, of course, I would continue to do this,” Volkov said. “It is obvious that he does what is beneficial for himself first and foremost. And Jon has the right to do so. And the question here is not so much about Jon Jones, but about the fact that the UFC allows him to behave this way and shows excessive loyalty to him. As a result, everyone is waiting.”
