Alexander Volkov won by unanimous decision against Waldo Cortes-Acosta with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28. The crowd in New Jersey booed after the fight, apparently appreciating Cortes-Acosta's showmanship in calling Volkov to the center to exchange strikes. The author felt Volkov secured the first two rounds but expected a more dominant performance similar to his victory over Sergey Pavlovich two years ago. During his post-fight octagon interview, Volkov carried the Russian flag and told the booing crowd it was an honor to fight on May 9th. He then called for a title shot, stating he would fight Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane, or Alex Pereira.
