‘I apologise’ — Dana White gives three-word response to Alexander Volkov after UFC 310 judges left him visibly furious
Dana White was furious after Alexander Volkov lost at UFC 310. Volkov challenged Ciryl Gane in a No.1 contender bout at UFC 310, with the winner in prime position for a shot at heavyweight gold in their next bout. Gane was awarded the winner via split decision at UFC 310Getty Jon Jones is the current UFC heavyweight titleholder and 31-year-old Briton Tom Aspinall is the interim champion. It is expected the pair will meet in 2025 to unify the division, although Jones has admitted he would prefer a fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. After three somewhat tedious rounds, Gane, 34, was awarded the victory over Volkov, as two judges scored it 29-28 in his favour, while another ruled the contest 29-28 to Volkov. The decision left MMA fans around the world furious as many claimed Russia’s Volkov was ‘robbed’, having ‘clearly’ won two of the three rounds in the main card clash. New footage has now emerged of UFC President Dana White expressing those exact same feelings. The video shows White approaching the 36-year-old in the immediate aftermath of his fight, and his three-word response perfectly sums up his thoughts. “You got f***ed,” White tells Volkov. “You got f***ed.” “I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right. You understand what I’m saying?” Volkov’s translator then comes over and White makes sure he was understood. “Tell him, he got f***ed,” White added. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right…I have no idea. “The whole f***ing arena thought you won the fight…they f***ed that one up bad.” “I’ll talk to you in a little while, I apologise.” White was forced to apologise to Volkov after the boutESPN MMA Volkov was aiming to exact revenge on Gane, having lost to him in their first bout in 2021 by unanimous decision. The Russian is one of the best in the world and was on a record four-fight win streak in the heavyweight division going into the fight in Las Vegas. Gane is a former interim heavyweight champion, but lost the opportunity to win UFC gold for the first time against Francis Ngannou in 2022. He was submitted by Jones in the latter’s return to MMA after a three-year hiatus at UFC 285, subsequently losing out on his second opportunity at a UFC title. However, the Frenchman was fresh off an impressive victory over Serghei Spivac, and was the favourite going into the UFC 310 clash. In his post-fight press conference, Volkov targeted judge Adalaide Byrd, who stood down as a scorer of boxing fights following her involvement in Gennady Golovkin’s first fight with Canelo Alvarez. Canelo and Golovkin’s trilogy was iconicEd Mulholland/Matchroom She produced a controversial scorecard of 118-110 in favour of Canelo, while the other two judges awarded it 115-113 to Golovkin and a 114 split draw. “I don’t know if she works on her judging skills, or she just sometimes comes to watch the fights because she likes it, and gives the victory wherever she likes,” Volkov said. “Maybe she liked Ciryl Gane’s body more.” UFC CEO White was also pressed on how he scored the fight, after he revealed UFC 310’s five million plus gate and 18,648 attendance at the T-Mobile Arena. “I think Volkov won the fight,” he said. “So here’s what happened after that fight. You heard the boos: I went over to Volkov, I apologised to him. “I thought he won the fight, and then the head of the commission came over and said: ‘Listen, we thought that second round was really close and could’ve gone either way, and both guys got rocked.’” “They were making the argument on why the fight was judged the way it was judged. “It doesn’t f***ing matter what I think because they decide who wins and who loses, not us.” MMA fans also came to a consensus that Volkov should’ve won the fight. One fan took to X and said: “Volkov got robbed in broad daylight.” While another added: “Who hires these judges?” And a third responded: “I don’t understand why there are never consequences or recourse when someone gets robbed like this.” Although Volkov lost the bout in controversial circumstances, reports on Monday have suggested that the Russian will be line to fight either Jones or Aspinall for the title next. But Manchester’s Aspinall will not mind that fight one bit, having already recorded a victory over Volkov in 2022 via first-round submission. The UFC are yet to confirm who Jones will challenge for the heavyweight belt next, amid speculation that ‘Bones’ may relinquish the belt to fight Pereira.
Dana White was furious after Alexander Volkov lost at UFC 310.
Volkov challenged Ciryl Gane in a No.1 contender bout at UFC 310, with the winner in prime position for a shot at heavyweight gold in their next bout.
Jon Jones is the current UFC heavyweight titleholder and 31-year-old Briton Tom Aspinall is the interim champion.
It is expected the pair will meet in 2025 to unify the division, although Jones has admitted he would prefer a fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
After three somewhat tedious rounds, Gane, 34, was awarded the victory over Volkov, as two judges scored it 29-28 in his favour, while another ruled the contest 29-28 to Volkov.
The decision left MMA fans around the world furious as many claimed Russia’s Volkov was ‘robbed’, having ‘clearly’ won two of the three rounds in the main card clash.
New footage has now emerged of UFC President Dana White expressing those exact same feelings.
The video shows White approaching the 36-year-old in the immediate aftermath of his fight, and his three-word response perfectly sums up his thoughts.
“You got f***ed,” White tells Volkov. “You got f***ed.” “I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right. You understand what I’m saying?”
Volkov’s translator then comes over and White makes sure he was understood.
“Tell him, he got f***ed,” White added. “I don’t know what we’ll do, but we’ll try and make it right…I have no idea.
“The whole f***ing arena thought you won the fight…they f***ed that one up bad.” “I’ll talk to you in a little while, I apologise.”
Volkov was aiming to exact revenge on Gane, having lost to him in their first bout in 2021 by unanimous decision.
The Russian is one of the best in the world and was on a record four-fight win streak in the heavyweight division going into the fight in Las Vegas.
Gane is a former interim heavyweight champion, but lost the opportunity to win UFC gold for the first time against Francis Ngannou in 2022.
He was submitted by Jones in the latter’s return to MMA after a three-year hiatus at UFC 285, subsequently losing out on his second opportunity at a UFC title.
However, the Frenchman was fresh off an impressive victory over Serghei Spivac, and was the favourite going into the UFC 310 clash.
In his post-fight press conference, Volkov targeted judge Adalaide Byrd, who stood down as a scorer of boxing fights following her involvement in Gennady Golovkin’s first fight with Canelo Alvarez.
She produced a controversial scorecard of 118-110 in favour of Canelo, while the other two judges awarded it 115-113 to Golovkin and a 114 split draw.
“I don’t know if she works on her judging skills, or she just sometimes comes to watch the fights because she likes it, and gives the victory wherever she likes,” Volkov said.
“Maybe she liked Ciryl Gane’s body more.”
UFC CEO White was also pressed on how he scored the fight, after he revealed UFC 310’s five million plus gate and 18,648 attendance at the T-Mobile Arena.
“I think Volkov won the fight,” he said. “So here’s what happened after that fight. You heard the boos: I went over to Volkov, I apologised to him.
“I thought he won the fight, and then the head of the commission came over and said: ‘Listen, we thought that second round was really close and could’ve gone either way, and both guys got rocked.’”
“They were making the argument on why the fight was judged the way it was judged.
“It doesn’t f***ing matter what I think because they decide who wins and who loses, not us.”
MMA fans also came to a consensus that Volkov should’ve won the fight.
One fan took to X and said: “Volkov got robbed in broad daylight.”
While another added: “Who hires these judges?”
And a third responded: “I don’t understand why there are never consequences or recourse when someone gets robbed like this.”
Although Volkov lost the bout in controversial circumstances, reports on Monday have suggested that the Russian will be line to fight either Jones or Aspinall for the title next.
But Manchester’s Aspinall will not mind that fight one bit, having already recorded a victory over Volkov in 2022 via first-round submission.
The UFC are yet to confirm who Jones will challenge for the heavyweight belt next, amid speculation that ‘Bones’ may relinquish the belt to fight Pereira.
