By the Numbers: Alexander Volkov vs. Greg Hardy

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Greg Hardy is a formidable figure in need of a big-name casualty to boost his ranking. On Nov. 9, he’ll be presented with a golden opportunity to prove his worth when he faces the seventh-ranked Alexander Volkov. The numbers below should give you an idea on who will have the edge going into this exciting matchup at UFC Fight Night 163 in Moscow.

Age, height and arm reach

With a combined weight of more than 500 pounds, Volkov and Hardy are two huge heavyweights with a ton of talent. Volkov stands at 6-foot-7-inches with an 81-inch arm reach while Hardy is a slightly smaller 6-foot-5 with an 80-inch reach. Both fighters are 31 years old. Volkov was born on Oct. 24, 1988, while Hardy was born on July 28, 1988.

Overall experience

Before transitioning into MMA, Hardy was a professional football star who played for the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys. He had been training in MMA for a few months when he announced on Oct. 2016 that he intended to pursue a career in the sport. Without any previous combat sports experience, Hardy embarked on an amateur career and went 3-0 before making his professional debut on June 12, 2018. He has since registered a 5-1 (1 NC) record.

Volkov has been fighting professionally since April 19, 2009, showcasing his skills in top Russian promotions, most notably M-1 Global. He also fought at Bellator, where he became the heavyweight champion by beating Richard Hale. In 2016, he returned to M-1 Global and took its heavyweight belt by defeating Denis Smoldarev. Overall, his record stands at 30-7.

Octagon appearances

Hardy has only fought in the UFC four times, although he did appear in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series twice. His UFC record is 2-1 (1 NC). Volkov, on the other hand, first made his way to the Octagon on Nov. 19, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 99, where he earned a split decision victory over Timothy Johnson. In terms of respective quality of opponents, Volkov has clearly faced the stiffer competition, as he has squared off against the lines of Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Fabricio Werdum and Derrick Lewis.

Wins and losses by knockout

The much more experienced Volkov has scored 20 wins by KO or TKO. His most prominent victims have been Werdum, Struve and Ricco Rodriguez. He’s been knocked out twice in his career, by Lewis and Vitaly Minakov. Meanwhile, Hardy has yet to be starched by anyone in his young MMA career, and all five of his wins have come via KO or TKO.

First-round stoppages

Both Hardy and Volkov are quick finishers. In fact, all of Hardy’s five knockouts have occurred in the first round. Likewise, all three of his amateur fights ended inside of the first round. As for Volkov, he has tallied 15 first-round finishes, 14 by knockout and one by submission.