Volkov says UFC heavyweight belt has lost meaning with Gane vs. Hokit booked at UFC 334

Alexander Volkov has questioned the credibility of the UFC heavyweight championship, arguing that the title’s meaning has eroded through a series of matchmaking decisions that prioritise profile over merit — culminating in champion Ciryl Gane’s scheduled defence against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14.

Volkov, who has won six of his last seven bouts with his only defeat a controversial split decision to Gane, has watched the Frenchman receive two title shots — against Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira — while he himself has been passed over. The Russian veteran noted that Hokit only began competing in MMA when Volkov was already 11-4 in the UFC and 37-10 in the sport overall.

“Is Ciryl Gane a real champion right now? He is real if he has a belt,” Volkov told MMA Fighting ahead of UFC 333. “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.”

Volkov had already expressed scepticism earlier this year, describing the Gane vs. Pereira interim title fight as “more like a promotional or media fight” than a genuine championship bout. His criticism has since sharpened following what he characterised as Gane committing fouls in the UFC White House event before being matched with the “loud” Hokit.

“The belt has the meaning of the fighter who has it right now,” Volkov continued. “If we talk about Gane, he has the belt. We can see he is a champion for having this belt. So the meaning of the belt is like that — a champion who can eye poke somebody in a fight, kick a groin or do something else, and then knock out guys and become a champion because he hurt another champion before. Now, the meaning of the belt is the same. Then he will fight with a guy who is just very loud right now, kind of a showman. If he would take this belt, the meaning of the belt is that now you should be a showman to get the belt.”

Volkov was pointed about what he believes the title should represent, and what it would mean in his own hands. “But one day it will be about a fighter who just can beat everybody, not speak a lot, do it like there’s no cheating or something like that, and be just a martial artist. This belt will have this meaning. If I will have the belt, the belt will have meaning.”

Meanwhile, Alex Pereira — now 0-1 at heavyweight following his defeat to Gane — is booked to face Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335 on December 12.