Snubbed UFC heavyweight reacts to Ciryl Gane’s third title fight since being ‘robbed’ against him

It is safe to say that Alexander Volkov is not pleased.

The Russian contender will once again be watching from the sidelines the next time the UFC heavyweight title is up for grabs.

During Saturday’s UFC 331 broadcast, it was announced that Ciryl Gane will defend against Josh Hokit in the main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden this November.

Given Volkov’s history with the recently crowned champion, ‘Drago’ has no doubt been frustrated to see the opportunities afforded to Gane.

The only man above Volkov in the Meta UFC heavyweight rankings is Tom Aspinall. But that fact evidently did not put the veteran in the discussion to challenge Gane after he was elevated to undisputed champ.

The Frenchman’s upcoming defense against Hokit will mark his third straight title fight since beating Volkov for a second time, although not many recognize that as a legitimate victory.

Fans cried ‘robbery’ when Gane beat Volkov at UFC 310 in December 2024, and even Dana White acknowledged that the judges got it wrong when the furious Russian exited the cage.

That, however, did not change how the promotion booked the division. Gane was granted a shot at Aspinall’s title in 2025, and even his egregious fouling in that fight did not take him out of the equation this year.

Instead, Gane defeated Alex Pereira to become interim champ at UFC Freedom 250 in June and Aspinall’s vacation means he now sits on the undisputed throne.

Volkov has no doubt been bemused by how things have played out since he ‘beat’ Gane. He commented five laughing emojis under the UFC post announcing the Frenchman’s fight against Hokit.

Volkov received plenty of support after his comment, with plenty of fans sharing his bemusement at the booking with their replies.

“You will get your revenge.”

“You deserve this shot man.”

“You need to whoop Dana.”

“Should have been you, you earned it.”

“You deserve the rematch.”

“Your good karma will come.”

Volkov will now be focused on his next fight, which comes a few weeks before the heavyweight title is on the line for the first time in 13 months.

After wins over Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta, ‘Drago’ will battle Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi.