Taking the Spotlight
The heavyweight division has plenty of rising stars trying to get their chance at the title and a shot at Stipe Miocic.
With that many fighters rising through the ranks it can be tough for anyone to find their way out of the mess that is the rest of the division.
Fighters need to make a name for themselves and there is no better way to do that in the FC than to take out a legend in the sport.
It has been that way forever with a sport that is all about the individual and has nothing to do with a team.
That forces every fighter to try to work their way up and create a name for themselves by building hype.
To build that hype people need to be paying attention and people tend to pay attention when a big name is involved.
Fights involving two fighters that are not known by more people are great when it comes to building a career with a good record.
There has to be a time when a fighter moves from just having a good record to being undeniable in terms of the title.
Some take the long road and continue to add up their records until there is nobody left with a winning streak even close to their own.
Others head into fights against a bigger name opponent taking the chance that they can win and prove to everyone that they belong.
Taking a fight against a known fighter can be a massive boost for a fighter as they are being watched even if everyone is watching the other fighter.
These up and coming fighters can take that spotlight with an impressive win over a fighter that has done a lot more.
For one a win against those fighters is a big thing just to prove to the UFC brass that they belong.
If they can beat a veteran who has done and seen just about everything it proves that they have the skills to be one of the best and potentially a title holder.
The bigger thing with those fights is the fact that these fights are watched and being seen as the fighter who beat a legend is a big thing.
It makes that fighter a more known name and when they can become a known fighter they tend to find an easier path to the title.
That is what Alexander Volkov was hoping for when he took a fight against one of the best ever in Fabricio Werdum.
Werdum had done just about everything there is to do in the UFC as a former champion and one of the few people to beat Cain Velasquez.
He brings his great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background to every fight and there is nobody that can match that skill on the ground.
The continued development of his stand-up has only made him better and as he adds up the wins he gets closer to the title shot.
This main event was likely a key to getting back to the title picture as another win against an up and coming fighter would likely earn him a title shot to try to win his title back.
Volkov was looking to take some of the hype surrounding Werdum and put it one himself in order to stand out from the rest of the great up and comers.
Beating one of the top contenders in the division would surely put him into the conversation for a title shot and make him stand out.
Volkov would need to go into the octagon realizing that the ground game is something that he should avoid as much as possible.
That is what he attempted to do from the start of the fight as Volkov was clearly looking to out-strike the veteran.
That is always easier said than done though as the fight went to the ground multiple times in the first two rounds.
Werdum took shots from Volkov but spent most of the time in controlling position until the third round.
That is where Volkov was able to get through the defence and rock Werdum on the feet keeping him off of his game.
The wear and tear of the punishment that Volkov had handed out in the rest of the fight as he began to slow down.
Volkov took advantage of the slowed pace and swarmed Werdum to put him on the ground then followed up to finish the fight.
Werdum took the loss but he is still a veteran and will get another shot at making a run at the title, although at 40 his time is running out.
Volkov took the win and is sure to move into the conversation for a title shot even if he has to fight once more before he can get a title shot.
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