Over the weekend former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum suffered a devastating KO loss to Alexander Volkov.

The bjj black belt Werdum previously trained with Volkov and as such Volkov has a degree of respect for him:

 “He’s really well-rounded and he’s really smart,” said Volkov at Thursday media day.

“I know he’s smart because I’ve trained with him. I think one of my best tools is my brain, I think I’m a smart fighter, too. I think it will be a really interesting fight because of that. I think the smarter fighter will win this fight, and I expect that to be me.”

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A post shared by Sport time ⏳ (@sport__time___) on Mar 18, 2018 at 2:30am PDT

However Volkov also said:

 “Jiu-jitsu has a really long and rich history in MMA, but compared to the past, jiu-jitsu is not as important as it used to be. Less and less people who are only good at jiu-jitsu become UFC champions,” he said.

“Werdum is a really high-level jiu-jitsu player, and he’s definitely stronger than me in that area. He would win if we were just doing jiu-jitsu, but we’re not just doing jiu-jitsu.

Werdum released a statement after the bout:

 I would like to thank everyone who cheered for me, who sent me messages of support and who are by my side in this difficult moment which is a defeat. I am sad but I keep my head up with the certainty that life is made and mistakes and correct and that the most important of this trajectory is how we rise from a fall. I am fortunate to have happiness and determination in my heart and to be surrounded by people who respect me and who give me the energy that I need to continue my path of success. Thanks for the support and know that each one of you is very important to me!

Gostaria de agradecer a todos que torceram por mim, que me mandaram mensagens de apoio e que estão ao meu lado neste momento difícil que é uma derrota. Estou triste porém mantenho minha cabeça erguida com a certeza que a vida é feita e erros e acertos e que o mais importante desta trajetória é como a gente se levanta de um tombo. Eu tenho a sorte de ter a felicidade e a determinação no meu coração e ser rodeado de pessoas que me respeitam e que me dão a energia que eu preciso para continuar minha trajetória de sucesso. Obrigado pelo apoio e saiba que cada um de vocês é muito importante para mim! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ I would like to thank everyone who cheered for me, who sent me messages of support and who are by my side in this difficult moment which is a defeat. I am sad but I keep my head up with the certainty that life is made and mistakes and correct and that the most important of this trajectory is how we rise from a fall. I am fortunate to have happiness and determination in my heart and to be surrounded by people who respect me and who give me the energy that I need to continue my path of success. Thanks for the support and know that each one of you is very important to me!

A post shared by Fabricio Werdum 🥇 (@werdum) on Mar 17, 2018 at 10:07pm PDT

Volkov is excited to be a title contender:

 “This is the best feeling,” he said. “Fabricio is a big name in the sport so this means that now, I am a huge name, too. Now, I am looking for a title shot for sure, so maybe it will happen very soon. I want a title shot in Russia, though. That is what I really want.

“I would be so excited to fight for the belt in Russia. I want to bring the UFC to my country for the first time. If I can bring the UFC to Russia, I will be a fighter who has made history. I am so happy to be a part of the group of Russian fighters now fighting in the UFC.”