Alexander Volkov

Picked clearly on a specific, previously-demonstrated range-control gameplan -- the analyst expects him to repeat what worked against a similarly long opponent before.

A solid striker who is exceptionally long and hard to close the distance on -- a genuine, meaningful length and reach edge here. He pushes good volume, lands cleanly at every range, blends punches with kicks, and switches stances freely. The front kick he throws to the body is a specific problem for this particular opponent -- it halts forward movement and carries enough range to be thrown over and over with minimal risk; he's also skilled at conditioning an opponent's reactions, establishing a rhythm before switching it up to land something different. His grappling is decent -- reasonable top control, and he's capable of mixing in a takedown, even if he probably won't need one. He's unusually active off his back with elbows when he ends up there, having actually won exchanges from underneath that way before, a real and somewhat rare trait for a fighter his size. His path to victory hinges on keeping the fight at range, something he's already demonstrated against similarly long opponents.