December has proved to be a month synonymous with mixed martial arts aplenty for fans and the media alike. This weekend fans can not only catch two UFC cards within 24 hours of one another, but also Bellator 84, which features an interesting heavyweight bout between two relatively unknown fighters, but which still holds the potential to give fight fans something to remember. Richard Hale vs. Alexander Volkov sits at the top of the card, and offers the winner the opportunity to claim the vacated Bellator heavyweight title.
One look at Hale’s and Volkov’s records, and the first fact that will jump out to you is that both of these individuals know how to finish fights, as they do so at a very high rate. With 46 fights between them, 33 have been finished in some fashion before the judges could render their verdict. Even more impressive is that 24 of those finishes have come by knockout. Mixed martial arts fans are always clamoring for fighters to end fights and give them exciting battles; Hale and Volkov have been listening intently to their cries.
A three-year professional, Volkov is riding a nine-fight win streak into the final. During this run he was able to defeat the two biggest names that he’s faced in Brett Rogers and Ricco Rodriguez. Seven of these last nine victories have by TKO stoppage; five of those came in the first round. At 6’7, the Moscow, Russia native has a range that is similar to UFC standout Stefan Struve, but he’s been able to generate the kind of power that separates his opponents from consciousness on a regular basis.
The 27-year-old Hale is a finisher who has accumulated his wins in more diverse fashion. Ten of his victories have come by knockout, while another eight have been submission wins. One of those victories was the famed inverted triangle choke submission that he scored at Bellator 38. Since then he’s relied on his striking to put away five straight opponents; four of which were unable to make it out of the first round. Now, Hale steps forward to face Volkov in his second shot at a Bellator title. In 2011 he faced Christian M’Pumbu for the light heavyweight title, but was eventually stopped by the current 205-pound champion.
Hale-Volkov is going to be a striking contest that can really highlight the art of combat on the feet within MMA. Volkov will use his range to keep Hale at bay, but he also has the power to finish from that distance, so it will be captivating to see how Hale cuts down the distance. Another consideration, however, is that Hale can take this fight to the ground, where his grappling can come into play and pose a problem for the Russian. While that wouldn’t be the type of fight that fans expect, it would be the best strategy for Hale to use if he is trying to come out of this bout with the belt.
While fight fans get geared up for the two UFC events this weekend, they can flip over to MTV2 for the latest event from Bellator Fighting Championships. At the top of the card, Richard Hale and Alexander Volkov will do battle for the heavyweight strap, all while trying to create another highlight for the reel in the Bellator vault.
