\n<\/p>\n
No. 4-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Alexander Volkov<\/strong> returns to action against surging contender Rizvan Kuniev<\/strong> on the UFC 333 main card this weekend (Sat., Oct. 24, 2026) inside Etihad Arena on \u201cFight Island\u201d in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to be telling the same things every fight, but he looks very similar to many of my opponents,\u201d Volkov recently told MMA Junkie. \u201cWhat I expect from him is that he will maybe try to beat me in the standup, but after, he will try to clinch or take me down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI expect nothing else from him,\u201d Volkov continued. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have many weapons to surprise me. I have more technical skills.\u201d<\/p>\n Volkov then took things in a much more personal direction, questioning how successful Kuniev can be without performance-enhancing drugs.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the success he\u2019s had \u2014 and I don\u2019t want to talk bad about him, I respect him as a person, as I know him,\u201d Volkov said. \u201cBut after he took this fight with me, after he came to our gym and I was in class with him, he took this fight, so I should tell some true things I see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe realized that he was cut from PFL for using steroids, performance-enhancing substances, so this was his success,\u201d Volkov continued. \u201cI\u2019m not sure he can fight with me without it, so I\u2019m not worried.\u201d<\/p>\n Kuniev tested positive for anabolic steroids \u2014 drostanolone, metenolone, boldenone and 19-norandrosterone \u2014 following his 2023 victory over Renan Ferreira<\/strong>. The result was overturned to a no contest, while Kuniev received a 12-month suspension and a $9,821 fine from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.<\/p>\n It is worth noting, however, that there have been no publicly reported positive tests involving Kuniev since that 2023 violation.<\/p>\n Volkov enters UFC 333 riding a two-fight winning streak since his robbery loss to Ciryl Gane<\/strong>. \u201cDrago\u201d has won six of his last seven appearances and remains firmly planted near the top of the Heavyweight division.<\/p>\n Another victory over a dangerous prospect might finally force UFC to stop using Volkov as a gatekeeper for everyone else\u2019s title ambitions.<\/p>\n Especially if Kuniev cannot prove him wrong.<\/p>\n