The Octagon heads to Yubileyny Sports Palace at St. Petersburg, Russia on April 20 for UFC Fight Night 149, and the card is finally starting to shape up.

Though the UFC hasn’t officially declared the following bouts, many media sources have reported them, and it is expected the UFC makes them official shortly. Here are my thoughts on the initial three famous fights for UFC St. Petersburg.
Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov, UFC Fight Night 149
The main event of UFC Fight Night 149 is scheduled for a five-round heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov. Denis Geyko broke the news. Overeem (44-17, 1 NC) is 9-6 overall at the UFC and is coming from a TKO win over Sergey Pavlovich. Volkov (30-7) is currently 4-1 in the UFC and is coming from a shocking last-second KO loss to Derrick Lewis. Prior to that he had been on a six-fight win streak and was nearing name contention. Had Volkov lasted just 10 more seconds against Lewis he probably would have been battling for a name by now. I am hoping people forget exactly how close Volkov was to winning this struggle, and maybe he will be the dog here against Overeem since he’s coming from a knockout win. I just don’t think Overeem’s chin could be reliable contrary to a long, skinny and potent striker such as Volkov, and I lean towards the Russian in this one.
Sergey Pavlovich vs. Marcelo Golm, UFC Fight Night 149
A fun heavyweight fight between Sergey Pavlovich and Marcelo Golm will even occur with this card. Via MMADNL, Igor Lazorin broke news. Pavlovich (12-1) was undefeated as a pro with the majority of his wins coming by knockout before he himself was knocked out by Overeem in his UFC debut. That was too much of a step up for Pavlovich and the UFC is eventually giving him a more favorable matchup in his home nation. Golm (6-2) completed Christian Colombo in his Octagon introduction but has since dropped decisions to Arjan Bhullar and Tim Johnson. Golm just has not been impressive in the UFC at all and although Pavlovich did not look good against Overeem he has many advantages in this fight. I expect the Russian for a fairly big favorite to receive his hand raised as a result.
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Antonina Shevchenko, UFC Fight Night 149
And finally, women’s flyweights Roxanne Modafferi and Antonina are set to fight at this event. MyMMANews.com broke the struggle first. Modafferi (22-15) is 1-3 overall in the UFC and is coming off of a decision loss to Sijara Eubanks. She has had a bit of a career revival since moving down to flyweight, but is clearly at an athletic disadvantage in this matchup. Shevchenko (7-0) is the sister of UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and she is so far 1-0 in the Octagon with a decision win over Ji Yeon Kim. This is a very favorable matchup for Shevchenko over someone who can’t match her in the striking and that I expect her to acquire a clear decision in this one. Look for her to be a big favorite to collect the win.
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