UFC 333 takes over Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi tonight with a pair of interesting title fights. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defends his belt against undefeated No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev (20-0), and bantamweight champion Petr Yan faces Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout.
With only one day left before their fight, heavyweight Alexander Volkov seems to be another fighter who was looking for a title bout. But the veteran, who holds a 40-11 professional record, meets Rizvan Kuniev on the same card.
However, Volkov put his title-shot question on the table during the media event, and UFC CEO Dana White addressed it later.
Dana White Waited for a Punchline After Alexander Volkov’s Question
At Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, Volkov took a fan microphone and asked White how he could earn a title shot. First, he praised the featherweight champion, calling himself a fan of “The Great.”
Then he asked what he needed to do to get the opportunity for a title fight, especially because the vacant heavyweight title fight was given to No. 6-ranked Josh Hokit at UFC 334. Surprisingly, White failed to recognize his own No. 4-ranked heavyweight veteran, who has completed over 50 professional fights.
During their two-minute talk, White asked how old Volkov was and how many fights he had, making it seem like White had no idea who Volkov was. Even Matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn mocked White later for not recognizing a well-established fighter from his own organization.
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But when the UFC boss was later asked about his awkward press conference moment, White said, “I absolutely knew. I thought he was doing some type of a shtick and I was waiting for the punchline. There was nothing, it was very odd.”
Dana White says he knew it was Alexander Volkov asking him a question at the presser yesterday 😭
“I absolutely knew. I thought he was doing some type of a shtick and I was waiting for the punchline. There was nothing, it was very odd.” https://t.co/gGGHrs7uWr
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 23, 2026
Volkov has won six of his last seven fights, with his only blemish during that stretch being a highly debated split-decision loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC 310. Despite the Russian’s strong bounce-back run, the UFC CEO explained ahead of UFC 332 that Volkov’s position in the division remains complicated.
“He’s in there (the mix). It’s not like he has to do anything to come close to the title shot. He’s in it right now, everything you said is dead on, and he’ll get his shot,” White said. “Sometimes people get in these weird positions where they feel like they’re in no man’s land, but it’s just a timing issue.”
Volkov’s public frustration boiled over in September when the UFC bypassed him to book the UFC 334 title fight between Gane and Hokit. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkov said, “It’s very admirable for UFC to put a guy with a serious mental condition in a title shot. Of course he should go in front of me… It’s an incredibly inspiring story of a guy with mental illness who can fight for the Heavyweight title.”
His remarks went viral instantly, drawing a furious response from Hokit during a subsequent appearance on Helwani’s show. “The Incredible Hok” said, “Shit, these sleep doctors, they be prescribing Volkov fights. He’s boring as f—- though… You say Volkov now, I just wanna yawn. I wanna take a nap.”
Josh Hokit responds to Alexander Volkov’s viral comments about the UFC giving Hokit a title shot because of his “mental illness”:
“Shit, these sleep doctors, they be prescribing Volkov fights to people that struggle to sleep. You put one of those motherf***ers on, you’re snoring immediately.
He’s been in the game for so long. Nobody cares about you. You already had your chance. Get out of here, gang. That motherf***er lost to Derrick Lewis.
He’s boring as f*** though. That interview, I guess, was the most exciting thing he’s done in 20 years. Kudos to you, Ariel, you brought that shit out of him.
You say Volkov now, I just wanna yawn. I wanna take a nap.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 28, 2026
This bitter trash talk explains why White thought Volkov’s press-conference disruption was a promotional stunt. A decisive win over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 is Volkov’s only path out of that “no man’s land.” It would give him the concrete leverage he needs to force the UFC to give him a title shot.
