Dana White happy with scoring in Volkov-Almeida fight: 'You can't just lay on somebody'

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ABU DHABI – It’s not often that UFC CEO Dana White is praising MMA judges, but UFC 321 was one of those rare occasions.

In a very close fight that had people split on who should’ve been the rightful winner, Alexander Volkov was awarded a split decision over Jailton Almeida on the main card of UFC 321 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Volkov (39-11 MMA, 13-6 UFC) won 29-28 on two of the judges’ scorecards, and Almeida (22-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) won 29-28 with the third judge.

It was an odd situation, as Almeida controlled the action, taking down Volkov at will and controlling him on the ground for vast periods of time – but with little to no damage.

“You can’t win a fight by just laying on top of somebody,” White told reporters at the UFC321 post-fight press conference. “That’s not how it works. I was actually very happy with the way judges scored that fight.”

Almeida was heavily criticized online for his approach to the fight. He held many dominant positions, but didn’t throw any meaningful strikes while at an advantage. On the other hand, Volkov, who found himself on the bottom for long periods of time, was punching and throwing elbows.

“I’m glad that the judges gave him the fight,” White said. “I think he deserved the fight. I think he won. You can’t win a fight by not doing anything. You can’t just lay on somebody and win a fight.”

White said in normal circumstances, Volkov would’ve likely been the No. 1 heavyweight contender with the win. However, due to champ Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane ending in a no contest in the main event, Volkov will have to wait to get his opportunity at the belt.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen (with Volkov),” White said. “First of all, I can sit here right now, the fight just got over however long ago, and what makes sense is to do the rematch (with Aspinall and Gane). It makes sense. Sitting here tonight, that makes sense. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen. Anything can happen. … I’m not saying anyone is the No. 1 contender outside Ciryl Gane. I don’t know.”