For the media. Alexander Volkov: “My father looked sideways at me and said: “I hope you won’t do this? Alexander Volkov fighter marital status

Alexander Volkov (born October 24, 1988) - Russian fighter MMA. Former Bellator heavyweight champion. Former M-1 Challenge champion heavyweight.

Graduate of Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman 2011, department of "Dynamics and flight control of rockets and spacecraft" (SM3). Volkov trains in the Strela Team under the leadership of Taras Kiyashko.

Also in school age the boy went to training. When school coaches moved to other areas of activity due to financial difficulties, Alexander had to look for other mentors and mixed martial arts clubs.

The boy grew up, and when the time came to begin his studies at higher education educational institution, then I had to take a break from sports. There were karate sections at the institute; Volkov preferred to engage in a sport with which he was already familiar. In addition to institute classes, there were additional sections of boxing and Kyokushinkai karate.

Through his coach, Alexander met a man actively involved in the development of martial arts, which includes mixed fights. Meeting Vladimir Voronov led to his being invited to the club’s training camp, after which Alexander played for the Red Devil team.

At the beginning of his career, Volkov fought quite a lot of fights with strong fighters from North Caucasus, whom he won in most cases. He had his own tactics: at first, calmly withstand the initial onslaught, after which he moved on to attacking actions, and this brought him victory. Often his opponents tried to knock him down and force him to fight, but Alexander managed to avoid being forced to the ground.

Volkoa had his debut MMA fight in April 2009, when he defeated Nikolai Pleshakov by technical knockout in just 80 seconds. A month later, Volkov returned to the ring and defeated Adam Alikhanov by TKO in 20 seconds. A month later, Volkov suffered his first defeat - by submission. After two more TKO victories, in December 2009, just 8 months after his MMA debut, Volkov faced Ibragim Magomedov at M-1 Challenge 20. Volkov was an underdog, but ultimately won the fight by a landslide decision.

Then Volkov won two more fights - over Vitaliy Yalovenok and Alexander Romashchenko, and lost to Maxim Grishin at M-1 Selection 2010: Eastern Europe Finals in July 2010.

After that, Volkov performed quite successfully in various promotions in Russia, and in 2012 he signed up for the major American promotion Bellator.

In September 2012, information appeared about the signing of a Russian heavyweight to this promotion, and already at the Bellator 75 tournament Volkov made his debut in a fight with Brett Rogers. This fight was part of Season 7 of the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament, and Volkov won by a landslide decision. In the semi-finals at Bellator 80, he faced Vinicius Queiroz and won the fight via TKO in the 2nd round. On December 14, Volkov fought Richard Hale in a five-round bout, which was the final of the 7th season of the Heavyweight Tournament. The Bellator heavyweight championship was on the line. Volkov won by decision and became the champion.

In his first title defense, Volkov faced Vitaly Minakov in the co-main event of Bellator 108 in November 2013. He lost this fight by TKO in the first round.

Volkov returned in March 2014 at Bellator 111 and competed against Mark Golata. This fight was part of the new Heavyweight Grand Prix, and Volkov won by TKO in the first round. In the semi-finals, he faced “Mighty Mo” in a cage on April 11, 2014 at Bellator 116. Volkov won with a spectacular knockout in the first round.

In the final at Bellator 120 in May 2014, Volkov met Blagoya Ivanov, and defeated him ahead of schedule, by submission in the 2nd round.

After that, Alexander fought 2 fights in Russia, defeating Rob Boughton and Alexey Kudin, and returned to Bellator in April 2015 and lost by split decision to Tony Johnson at the Bellator 136 tournament.

At Bellator 139 in June 2015, Volkov faced Cheick Kongo in the cage. He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was removed from the Bellator MMA roster after his second straight loss.

After this, Volkov continued to perform in Russia, and at M-1 Challenge 64 he defeated Denis Smoldarev, becoming the new M-1 Global heavyweight champion, and at M-1 Challenge 68 he knocked out Atilla Wei, successfully defending his title.

In September 2016, information appeared that Volkov signed a contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 99 and defeated Timothy Johnson via split decision in November 2016.

The future fighter was born in sports family, although none of his close relatives were professional athletes. The parental example determined the preferences of Alexander Volkov. Already at school the guy attended sport sections, and when school coaches left the sport due to financial problems, the young man himself went in search of serious clubs with strong mentors.

Luck smiled on Alexander, and he found himself in the mixed martial arts section. True, after graduating from school, he stopped his studies for a while: he had to go to college. But the university also had sports sections! And Volkov chose karate - a sport with which he was already familiar - and at the same time attended the boxing section.

Volkov’s coach introduced the guy to Vladimir Voronov, who at that time was popularizing mixed martial arts in Russia. After an invitation to the club’s training camp, the guy joins the Red Devil team. From this moment his professional performances begin.

Having started his career in mixed martial arts, Alexander abandoned other types of martial arts for some time, since all of them, in the athlete’s opinion, had too many restrictions. Volkov held his first rating match in St. Petersburg, in the second round of the M-1 Selection. Then his opponent was Nikolai Pleshakov, who very quickly lost by knockout.

At first, Alexander had to fight many matches with more experienced opponents, but in most fights he won victories. At this stage he suffered only one failure. It was all due to a lack of experience: without following the wrestling technique, Alexander was defeated by Akhmed Sultanov, who used his signature move (elbow lever).

Alexander received enormous support from his father. Perhaps it is for this reason that he did not give up the sport. There was a rule in the family: you have to train regardless of your desire, you can’t skip a single workout. This fact was one of the reasons sporting success Volkova. The whole family rejoiced at his victories!

Then Alexander will have many titles and achievements. He will be the Bellator heavyweight champion and three times pankration champion, and will win the karate championship in Moscow. In addition, Volkov became the owner of a blue belt in jiu-jitsu and a brown belt in Ashihara Karate.

Despite all his rich fighting experience (28 matches), Alexander now has only four defeats. And he never had serious injuries except for a broken arm. True, Alexander did not retain his Bellator champion title: in November 2013, he lost by technical knockout to his compatriot, Vitaly Minakov. Since then, however, Volkov has fought five fights in one year (very good pace for an ex-champion!) and won all five. Last Stand took place on February 21, 2015: Alexander in a difficult fight.

The fighter nicknamed Drago (“Dragon”), Alexander Volkov, is still one of the best heavyweight mixfighters today.

When the fate of the final team championship Russia's mixed martial arts M-1 Selection had already been decided and the score was 3:1 in favor of the Dagestan team "Highlander", the participants of the final meeting, heavyweight fighters, were invited to the ring weight category Ibragim Magomedov and Red Devil representative Alexander Volkov. For 32-year-old Magomedov, weighing 114.3 kg, this was already the 29th fight, of which he won 22, lost 6, with one draw. Alexander (201 cm, 96.4 kg) had to fight only his sixth fight, for the first time against such an eminent opponent.

St. Petersburg spectators wished, of course, victory for the representative Club Red Devil, but, admittedly, few of them seriously counted on the success of the representative of the St. Petersburg club. Alexander's opponent looked too impressive and confident. After an unexpected victory for many, Alexander Volkov gave an interview.

- Alexander, where did your passion for sports begin?

In the family of parents, many played sports, if not professionally, then at a fairly good level. Great uncle was engaged rowing, dad, Evgeniy Viktorovich rowing and archery. Mom was actively involved in sports before she got married. game types sports.

- Is that why your family viewed your activities favorably?

It happened in different ways. The coaches came to the school where I studied and invited me to the section. A lot of people signed up, but after six months almost none of them remained. I continued to go to training. Then the school held an open parent day, and my mother came to training. Sparring sessions were held, I was put into fights with older guys, from whom I got the worst of it. I remember how my mother, after picking me up from training, spoke in a raised voice with the coaches, expressing herself in the sense that she would not allow her son to be beaten. I didn’t go to training for a couple of months, but I was already drawn to the team, to the guys with whom I trained, with new strength there was a desire to go out on the tatami. I returned and realized that I had fallen behind even those with whom I started, and began to lose to those with whom I had won easily just recently. I only made up for two months of missed classes by the time I was 14-15 years old. At the same time, my coaches left due to financial difficulties coaching work and moved on to other areas of activity. I had to look for other clubs and other mentors. During the forced break I studied different types martial arts, from Wing Chun karate to hand-to-hand combat. It’s not that I did them seriously, but I tried to stay in fighting shape.

“Mixed martial arts is a sport like any other, but it requires more concentration and dedication”

When the time came to enter university, I thought that I would have to, if not completely part with sports, then take a break. I entered the Moscow State Technical University. N. E. Bauman to the Faculty of Special Mechanical Engineering, majoring in “Ballistics and Aerodynamics” (now “Dynamics and Flight Control of Missiles and Spacecraft”). The class schedule included physical education, where it was necessary to get credits in running, swimming, skiing and other disciplines, and I preferred to engage in an already familiar type of sport, especially since the karate group was led by Sergei Anatolyevich Katansky, who knew me from competitions. In addition to classes at the institute, I studied boxing with Dmitry Anatolyevich Sazonov, and Kyokushinkai karate with Ivan Valerievich Titenkov, who heads the Mixed Fight Federation and the Tsu Shin Gen direction of Russia. After that, I joined the Red Devil club and now I go to training camps with the team, and when I’m in Moscow, I study with Kyokushinkai karate coach Stanislav Valerievich Fomin.

- How did you meet the Red Devil club and become a member of it?

Through my coach, I met Igor Nikolaevich Karaev, who is actively involved in the development of martial arts in Moscow, including mixed fights. We met Fedor Emelianenko with him in Moscow after the next competition. Then I met Vladimir Mikhailovich Voronov, who invited me to a training camp with the Red Devil club team. After the training camp in Stary Oskol, I began playing for the club team.

- How many fights have you had in mixed martial arts?

Including the fight against Magomedov 6. He won 5 victories and lost once: in the 4th round of M-1 Selection to Akhmed Sultanov from “Legion”, in the first round in 2:50 by painful armbar. I then played for the Combat Bears team from Nizhny Novgorod. This was only my third fight; I lacked experience, ability to navigate and fight technically. He allowed his opponent to perform his signature move. I knew about this and prepared, but, nevertheless, I was unable to find my bearings in time. Unfortunately, my wrestling technique still lags behind my striking technique, and my immediate goal is to try to eliminate this deficiency.

“On the day of the fight with Magomedov, thoughts arose that the opponent was too experienced for me, but it was a momentary weakness.”

- What mixed martial arts competitions have you participated in?

He competed in contact karate as part of institute teams, hand-to-hand combat, then began to compete in amateur pankration competitions, becoming the champion of Moscow three times. Last year he won the Moscow Ashihara Karate Championship. When I started practicing mixed martial arts, I had to give up other types of martial arts, which impose significant restrictions on fighting techniques. Now my task is, first of all, to increase the level of wrestling training.

- What mixed martial arts competitions have you already participated in?

- Which battles left the most vivid positive and negative memories?

If we talk about mixed martial arts, then I have had too few fights in them so far to forget any of them. As for impressions, each fight leaves both positive and negative emotions. So far I have never been able to fully comply with the trainers’ instructions for a fight. I succeed in some things, but I also make enough mistakes. You need to draw conclusions from each fight and work on mistakes all the time remaining before your next entry into the ring.

- When did you have your first fight?

In the second round of M-1 Selection against Nikolai Pleshakov in St. Petersburg. It was a rating fight. I managed to take the fight to the ground and quite quickly finish it with a knockout.

- Still, what brought you to martial arts? By the way, what are your physical parameters?

Height 201 cm, weight 96.4 kg. My usual weight is 97-100 kg, but after intensive training at the last training camp, when the emphasis was on speed and endurance, the weight dropped a little. There was a period when I weighed 105 kg, but I can’t say that I felt more confident and strong then. The problem of weight gain today is not a priority for me. In mixed fights, success is determined not by weight, but by technical training and speed.

“My father played a big role in the fact that I didn’t give up sports. He never forced me to go to training, but the situation in the family was such that I could not help but go to them.”

- Outwardly, you don’t look like a wrestler or boxer. Your build would be more suited to a basketball or volleyball player

It so happened that I got into karate when the period of general physical training and serious training with sparring began, those who really wanted to seriously engage in sports and endure in training began to be selected. I also had periods when I really didn’t want to go to the gym. In the mornings, I pretended that my stomach hurt, tried to cough and sneeze Before training, the guys and I rubbed ice in front of the entrance to the gym, sprinkled it with snow in the hope that the coach would slip and fall and the training would be cancelled. But for some reason the coach never fell and did not cancel training. My father played a big role in the fact that I didn’t give up sports. He never forced me to go to training, but the family situation was such that I could not help but go to them. I always saw that my victories brought pleasure not only to myself, but also to the whole family. So I gradually got involved.

- Serious parents and a prestigious university, a promising specialty, and you devote yourself to sports?

I think technical knowledge will not leave me, and by doing mixed martial arts, I will acquire skills and experience that no university can provide. I hope they will still be useful to me in life, regardless of what I have to do in the future. My career in mixfight is just beginning, and I hope it works out for me.

- During your training in mixed martial arts, did the attitude of your loved ones towards your hobby change?

About four years ago, my father and I watched a recording of one of Fedor Emelianenko’s fights. My father looked sideways at me and said half-affirmatively: “I hope you won’t do this?” I replied that of course, why do I need this? But over time, he finally came to mixed fights. It seems to me that I have risen to a qualitatively new level, the new level competitions. This is the same sport as others, but it requires more concentration and dedication.

- Serious injuries happen in mixed martial arts. Doesn't this worry you?

I don’t want to jinx it, but so far I’ve managed to avoid serious injuries. In the fight with Ibrahim, I suffered a broken arm for the first time. But this is, I would say, a technical question; it will heal before the wedding. I would like to return to full training as soon as possible.

- How did the fight with Magomedov turn out for you?

I’m already used to the fact that the question of who I have to fight with is decided by the coaches. If they think I should go up against a specific fighter, then so be it. The fighter himself must be ready to fight with any opponent, realize the chance to prove himself, and not miss the opportunity to win. Of course, I still cannot say that I am ready to meet with any of the leading heavyweights in mixed martial arts, but always with the one whom the coaches put me up against.

- In addition to physical preparation in battle, the psychological attitude also decides a lot. How do you prepare for a fight?

Maybe this will seem self-confident on my part, but for some reason I always, when going out to fight, keep in my head the thought that I simply cannot lose. I am determined to win and even before the fight I imagine myself as a winner. True, on the day of the fight with Magomedov, I had thoughts that my opponent was too experienced for me, but it was rather a momentary weakness.

- As a child, you often had to fight, did you like it?

I had some problems with this at school. I wasn't big and strong. Of course, sometimes I had to fight, but even when I was already doing karate, having acquired some skills, I tried to avoid hand-to-hand fights on the street. I competed with interest, and street fights without rules and judges who could stop the fight were not to my liking. When I reached a certain level and realized that I could withstand a more powerful-looking opponent, or even several, I even lost interest in street fights. It would be, you see, simply not very smart to spend long hours in grueling workouts in the hall, in order to later use the acquired skills against unprepared people. I am ready to fight in competitions with any opponent, but Everyday life I always try to avoid conflicts unless absolutely necessary.