Johnny Walker says teammate Alexander Volkov deserves the next title shot: 'It's his time now'

Volkov has said he is no longer hunting the UFC heavyweight belt, which Ciryl Gane defends against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on 14 November.

Johnny Walker says his teammate Alexander Volkov has earned the next UFC heavyweight title shot, after Ciryl Gane's title defence against Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden.

Asked at the UFC Vegas 124 post-fight press conference in Las Vegas whether Volkov would get the shot next "after what goes down at MSG", Walker said: "Ah yeah, he, he deserves, bro. He's been in the division for how long? He fought the toughest guy on the planet, you know. It's his time now."

Walker was speaking after he stopped Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the third round of the main event (read more). Asked whether he would want to share the cage with his friend if Volkov won the belt and he kept rising, he said: "Not to talk about this yet. We need to have a conversation in private."

Volkov himself has said he has stopped chasing the title. "I'm not hunting for this title and the belt," he told The Ariel Helwani Show. "This belt doesn't define me." (read more)

He beat Rizvan Kuniev on a unanimous decision at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi (full result), then used his octagon interview to ask Dana White what he needs to do for a title shot (read more). Gane, who beat Volkov on a split decision in their rematch, defends the title against Hokit at UFC 334 in New York on 14 November (read more).

Walker said Hokit is the better wrestler and that the fight will turn on the game plan. "So who implement that game plan will be the winner of that fight, you know," he said.

READ NEXTJohnny Walker stops Waldo Cortes-Acosta to earn UFC Vegas 124 Fight of the NightRead the next story →

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