"I was better in all rounds, I didn't even think about getting robbed".

Alexander Volkov lost to Cyril Gan by split decision and once again missed his chance to become the first title challenger, for the third time in his UFC career. This time, unlike the fight with Lewis and the first fight with Gan, Alexander did everything right, but the judges decided otherwise. In interviews with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Volkov told us what he thinks about it.

Such judges should not decide the fate of athletes

- Your reaction to the decision?

- I don't agree with this decision, it's hard for me to accept it. I have not met a single person who would tell me to my face that I lost. I asked as calmly as possible, I am interested in getting justice, and no one said that I lost. Not in the UFC itself, not the fans, not on the internet where there is a lot of support. I hope that for the UFC I'm still a contender for the championship fight as if I won that fight. I don't think Cyril, even if the judges check the box, will be given a championship fight. My position in the division doesn't change, I've shown everyone in the UFC that I'm stronger. We will try to challenge the decision, I understand that there were no precedents when they challenged it, but we will involve lawyers and try to do everything we can. As far as I know, the decision can be challenged only if the judge herself admits that she was wrong or the judge is suspended.

- In your opinion, how many rounds did you win?

- I felt like I did more damage in all three rounds than he did. I had more strikes, more control, he played by the rules I imposed on him. All the activity was on my side, I set the fight. To say for sure that I won all three rounds, you need to review the fight yourself. But as the fight went on, I felt I gave him very few situations.

- At the announcement, you didn't have the thought, "God forbid they rob you now"?

- No. I was ready to win, Cyril's team, when I approached them, were all downcast, shook my hands. You could clearly see from their demeanor that they had no hope of winning. When I heard the second decision, it seemed to me that they gave a draw. There was not even a thought that he won, I was sure of my victory completely. For me it was as unexpected as possible.

- Did you know that one of the judges is the famous Adelaide Byrds, who made crazy decisions in boxing?

- Yes, I heard. In general, it's incomprehensible how people judge both boxing and MMA and are incompetent at it. This is such a big fight, a PPV tournament, here is a precedent in general to consider its competence. Legally, of course, it's going to be hard to do that in the state of Nevada, where we fought. We'll try to do something about it. I believe that such judges should not decide the fate of athletes, this is not a street fight, this is a specific sport where there should be very clearly defined boundaries of wins and losses. It was obvious to the whole gym that I won.

Where are the judges: How Volkov lost a controversial fight to Ghana

The decision of the referees seemed strange even to UFC head Dana White

- Is there any chance that the UFC will pay you a bonus for the victory, the second part of the fee? Considering Dana White has said words of encouragement.

- You know, words are words, but business is business. So, uh. I haven't gotten paid yet, I've gotten a payout, I've gotten a win bonus, and we'll see what happens. If the UFC is able to evaluate me like that, I'll be very grateful, because from the outside it's noticeable that I'm not only trying to develop as a fighter, but also from a media point of view I'm trying to fuel my social media, weigh-ins, press conferences.

- This time you decided to give Ghana a hard time from the very beginning, unlike in the first fight. Why?

- Because that's how he feels uncomfortable, it was obvious, and it was obvious that it should have been done in the first fight, I did it in the first round, but then I wanted to catch him on the counterpunch. I recognized that mistake, I should have moved forward. If you look at the fight between Gan and Ngannou, Ngannou won the fight more tentatively. Gan out-shot him in the stand-up, but with me he had no advantage in the stand-up. I looked much more confident in my three rounds against Gan than Ngannou, a former UFC champion who went undefeated and should compete with Jon Jones.

- Was Gane different in movement, in sensitivity from his first-fight sample self? A lot of people noticed he wasn't as volatile, not as light on his feet.

- Because I wasn't giving him space. The whole problem was revising the tactics for the fight. Even if you revisit the first fight, the damage I did to him was definitely not less. I was surprised by the decision, but I chose the wrong tactics, I tried to counterpunch like I did with Sergey Pavlovich, and I should have pressed him. I didn't give him the opportunity to move today, thanks to my team, a lot of tackles worked out.

We have no contact with Pavlovich

- How strong-willed is Gan? You can always feel how resilient a person is or, on the contrary, if he is breaking down.

- I don't know what was going on in his head, so it's hard for me to say. But I would give him some credit for the way he handled himself after the fight. He didn't take this win the way a lot of people might take it: throwing his hands up, beating his chest, screaming that he won. He realized that the fight was not on his side, and his first action was that he left the octagon, because his trainer had already brought him back. He behaved with dignity towards me, and there's respect, but it's not about dignity, it's about the sporting moment that was stolen from us.

- What's next?

- I remain a contender for the belt, everything will depend on the Jones-Aspinell fight. This fight leaves everything to think about, meaning I won't fight straight up right now, but there will be time for a decision depending on the outcome of this fight. I remain the top contender, at least that's what I hope. I felt the support from the management.

"If I'm going to be a champion, it's one that doesn't need to be protected."

One of the best fighters of Russia Magomed Ankalaev - about Pereira, Vakhitov and possible transition to heavyweight division

- You went to this fight with a new hairstyle - pigtails, something completely unfamiliar.

- To make it interesting, to please the fans, to change my image. I'm doing everything for you.

- Are you staying in America for now?

- There are plans to come [to Russia], but we need to think about how to do it organizationally. For now, we need to digest everything, to see what fights are possible. I'm here because I'm training non-stop. I am old enough, I have to make the most of every training day. Now I'll rest for a day or two and I'll start working right away.

- Sergey Pavlovich, by the way, did not write, did not apologize (the fighters had a conflict after the fight)?

- No, we do not keep in touch.