UFC vet talks potential Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane fight, Jorge Masvidal reaches out to Ben Askren, Dustin Poirier talks last bout: MMA News Roundup

UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov recently shared his thoughts on a potential Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane fight. Elsewhere, Jorge Masvidal sent his former UFC rival Ben Askren a heartfelt message of support in light of his ongoing health struggles. Dustin Poirier also spoke about the changes he's made to his UFC 318 fight camp to make sure it's special.

Catch up on all the latest news in mixed martial arts with Sportskeeda's MMA News Roundup.

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Alexander Volkov gives views on potential Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight title fight

UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov recently previewed a potential fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. With Aspinall becoming the new heavyweight king after Jon Jones' retirement, many believe Gane could be next in line to challenge the Englishman for the throne.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Volkov explained why he believes an Aspinall-Gane fight would be a 50-50 coin toss and said:

"[The fight is] 50-50, I think. Both of them are good, and Ciryl Gane, he's really good with his movement, with his legs, and everything. He's not so bad at grappling now. He started working a lot on his grappling and his ground skills, so I think it's 50-50."

He continued:

"It depends [on] how the fight starts, how both of them will be prepared for this fight. I saw that Gane will be motivated a lot for this fight to get the belt. It's 50-50, but on paper, when I fought both of them, Tom Aspinall looks better. But in the fight, it could go any way."

Catch Alexander Volkov's comments below (12:00):

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Jorge Masvidal expresses love and support for former UFC rival Ben Askren

Jorge Masvidal once knocked out Ben Askren in five seconds flat with an incredible flying knee at UFC 239 in July 2019. While the two were fierce rivals in the cage, it appears Masvidal has nothing but love for Askren, who's battling a serious health crisis.

In a recent video uploaded to his socials, Masvidal called Askren a "warrior" and acknowledged that the wrestling savant's story was an inspirational one. He said:

"This goes out to the one and only, Ben Askren. What's up, my brother? I know we were rivals in the ring. I just wanna say, God bless you, and when I get back in America, if I can come shake your hand, brother, and just share a prayer with you, it'll be amazing, man."

He continued:

"I know you're gonna pull through this because you're a fuc*ing warrior brother. God bless, your story is crazy inspirational. Whatever you're going through right now. God bless you, man. I'm hoping to get back and be able to just shake your hand, bro. I hope all is well, brother."

Watch the full video below:

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Dustin Poirier details changes he's made to "make the last one the best one"

Dustin Poirier is set to grace the UFC octagon one last time at UFC 318 in a BMF title fight against Max Holloway next weekend. Given that this would mark the end of a long and illustrious career in mixed martial arts, it's no surprise that the Louisiana native wants to make it special.

In a recent interview on the Fitz Take podcast, 'The Diamond' outlined the steps he's taking to make his last fight "the best one":

"[I] tried to do everything right, not that I didn't before, I just tried to be extra [for this last one]. I started my diet a few weeks before I even left to come out for training camp, and I've been in South Florida for eight weeks now."

He continued:

"Just trying to get ahead of everything, trying to make the last one the best one, and show the world that I'm walking away from the sport, not because I feel I can't compete with these guys or anything like that. I'm not getting squeezed out of the sport. I'm not letting the sport retire me. I want to leave on my terms."