Alexander Volkov Faces Crowded Queue Despite Being UFC Heavyweight's Top Contender

Alexander Volkov secured the number-one contender position at UFC 321, but a series of events has complicated his path to the heavyweight title. Tom Aspinall's potential return, Ciryl Gane's title shot, Alex Pereira moving up in weight, and resurgent performances from Sergei Pavlovich and others have pushed Volkov's realistic title shot to at best the spring of next year. Volkov did win his most recent contender's bout against Augusto Sakai, but remains behind several rivals in the queue.