Alexander Volkov reveals knee injury, pulls out of UFC 308 rematch against Ciryl Gane

UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov won’t be fighting Ciryl Gane next month.

‘Drago’ has been out of the octagon since his clash against Sergei Pavlovich in June. That bout saw Alexander Volkov easily outpoint his former friend and teammate en route to a unanimous decision victory. The victory was the Russian’s fourth in a row, previously scoring wins over the likes of Tai Tuivasa, and Alexander Romanov.

Following the victory, Alexander Volkov signed a deal to face Ciryl Gane at UFC 308 next month. For his part, ‘Bon Gamin’ hasn’t competed since a knockout win over Serghei Spivac last September. The rematch will be the first time they’ve faced off since June 2021, when they clashed at the UFC Apex.

That night over three years ago, Ciryl Gane handed the Russian a unanimous decision defeat. With a victory in the rematch, either man instantly joins the title conversation at 265 pounds. Sadly, the fight is no longer happening in October.

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Alexander Volkov pulls out of UFC 308 rematch against Ciryl Gane due to injury

Earlier this week, rumors spread about an injury to Alexander Volkov. While there was brief radio silence from the heavyweight, that is now over. Taking to Instagram earlier today, ‘Drago’ confirmed reports of an injury, and stated that he’s out of his return against Ciryl Gane. As of now, it’s unknown if the Frenchman will remain on UFC 308.

However, that appears unlikely. While unconfirmed as of now, reports suggest that Alexander Volkov vs. Ciryl Gane will be pushed to December 7th in Las Vegas for UFC 310. However, other heavyweights such as Jailton Almeida have also offered to step up and face the Frenchman next month.

Regardless, this is a big hit to the UFC 308 card. As of now, the Abu Dhabi-based event is set to be headlined by a featherweight clash between Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway. In the co-main event, middleweight contenders Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev are set to collide for five rounds.

What do you make of this UFC news? Do you hope to see Alexander Volkov vs. Ciryl Gane 2 get re-booked?