Alexander Volkov just secured a razor-thin split decision victory over Jailton Almeida at UFC 321, which took place this afternoon (Sat., Oct. 25, 2025) inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates.
Volkov, who spent a majority of the pivotal Heavyweight showdown on his back, was ultimately awarded the controversial decision from the three judges sitting ringside. The bout, refereed by Marc Goddard, highlighted the eternal mixed martial arts (MMA) dilemma: striking damage versus grappling control.
Checkout the official scorecards below, reflecting the fight’s closeness:
Mike Bell scored it 28-29 for Almeida, awarding him rounds two and three (9-10 each) after Volkov took round one (10-9). However, Tony Weeks — a former boxing referee — and Clemens Werner both favored Volkov 29-28, with Weeks giving him rounds one and two (10-9 each) and Werner rounds one and three (10-9 each).
According to UFC Stats, Almeida controlled the fight for 10:47 compared to Volkov’s 2:57, landing seven of nine takedowns and spending significant time in top position. He out-grappled the Russian, with per-round control like 4:27 in round two and 3:42 in round three.
Meanwhile, Volkov’s striking told a different story: he landed 24 of 27 significant strikes (88 percent accuracy) to Almeida’s nine of 10 (90 percent), including 17 ground strikes. Total strikes favored Volkov heavily at 123 of 130 versus Almeida’s 27 of 33.
No knockdowns or submissions occurred, but Volkov’s output — especially in clinch and ground positions, swayed two judges toward effective damage over positional control. Fight fans called it a “robbery,” arguing Almeida’s grappling warranted the nod:
Jailton Almeida is BORING. correct decision all Jailton did was lay on him, no output, no damage or anything to judge. Give Alex the next shot
i know yall wanted Volkov to win, but lets be real Almeida got ROBBED
People are acting like Almieda didn’t cut Volkovs ear open in the third round
I feel like they scored this match based on who least deserves to lose.
Guess Dana did make it up to Volkov after Gane loss
Ironically, this outcome feels like karma for Volkov, who suffered a controversial split decision loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC 310 back in Dec. 2024. Many, including media and fans alike, deemed that verdict completely incorrect, with Volkov landing more head and body strikes (24 vs. Gane’s 14) … yet losing.
Nevertheless, Volkov’s resilience paid off here, boosting his record to 39-11 and keeping the No. 2-ranked Heavyweight once again closer to 265-pound title contention. Almeida (22-4), meanwhile, saw his streak snapped, and will need to be way more effective moving forward.
