Demid Volkov became the Russian combat sambo champion in the 88 kg division at age 18. He then won the junior MMA championship in the 93 kg category, defeating 17-year-old Platon Lebedev in the final. Volkov trains with Denis Goltsov and spars with Goltsov, Mokhnatkin, and Khadis Ibragimov in St. Petersburg.
