Curtis Blaydes vs. Alexander Volkov announced as main event for UFC Saskatoon

A heavyweight fight between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov will serve as the main event for the upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on June 20.

The promotion announced the fight Friday following an initial report by ESPN.

Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Blaydes (13-2, 1 NC) has been anxious to put himself into title contention, but the logjam at the top of the division has prevented him from reaching that goal. With current champion Stipe Miocic still nursing an eye injury with his next fight expected to be against Daniel Cormier, that leaves contenders like Blaydes left waiting for an opportunity.

Following his second round knockout against former champion Junior dos Santos back in January, Blaydes wants to see the heavyweight division start moving again but it appears he’s going to keep himself busy while the title remains on hold.

As for Volkov (31-7), the 31-year-old Russian has put together an impressive 5-1 record during his run with the UFC. Most recently, Volkov defeated ex-NFL player Greg Hardy via unanimous decision, which put him back in the win column after suffering his only loss inside the Octagon when he fell to Derrick Lewis in 2018.

Blaydes vs. Volkov is the latest addition to the upcoming UFC card in Canada, which will also feature flyweights Gillian Robertson vs. Taila Santos, and Marc-Andre Barriault taking on Oskar Piechota.