LAS VEGAS – UFC heavyweight competitor Curtis Blaydes dominated Alexander Volkov with Saturday night, winning his fourth straight match in a unanimous decision.

Featherweight Josh Emmett won a unanimous decision on Shane Burgos in a thrilling joint performance during the final battle of the last performance of the fan-free UFC Apex gym in the hometown of mixed martial arts promotion.

Blaydes (14-2) showed off his superior wrestling skills from the start against Volkov, defeating the Russian who rose in the first 10 seconds and then dominated the first 3 1/2 rounds. Volkov (31-8) landed his own destruction at the end of the fourth quarter and nailed down Blaydes with a few attacks at the start of the fifth, but Blaydes broke through and won by bending the fight with his apparent strength on the ground.

“It is always a good experience to know you can go 25 minutes, and there are things you need to do, but you learn it in victory,” Blaydes said. “I need to improve my condition after the third round, but I am happy with the victory. Volkov is legitimate, and I am one step closer to the title shot.”

The 6-foot-7 Volkov flew to the US with no clear how he would return to Russia due to travel restrictions amid a coronavirus pandemic. He has won seven of his last eight fights, but has not competed since his one-sided victory over Greg Hardy in Moscow last year.

Blaydes won on the jury score cards 49-46, 48-47 and 48-46.

Blaydes and Francis Ngannou are the most likely competitors to get the next chance at the UFC heavyweight title after champion Stipe Miocic completed his trilogy with former two-belt champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on 15 August. Ngannou was responsible for only two defeats to Blaydes’s career, winning their battles in 2016 and 2018.

Emmett and Burgos put on a performance that night with an interesting slugfest, with Emmett winning 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27. 35-year-old Emmett (16-2) survived with a knee injury in the first half to land two knockdowns and a dominant third round, but Burgos absorbed an extraordinary penalty and thought he had made a decision.

“Dana, I told you, prepare the checkbook!” Emmett shouted immediately after the fight in the direction of UFC President Dana White, who distributed promotional bonuses for outstanding performances.

This event is the fourth of five consecutive UFC shows held over five weekends without fans on the company’s campus. After next week’s show led by Dustin Poirier’s meeting with Dan Hooker, UFC will move to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for four shows in 14 days, starting with UFC 251 on July 12.

Veteran Jim Miller completed Roosevelt Roberts with an armbar in the first round of his latest milestone battle. 36-year-old Miller (32-14) equals Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s record in his 35th appearance at home to UFC, and his 21st win at UFC makes him only follow Cerrone (23) and Demian Maia (22) in history promotion.

Former bantamweight challenger Raquel Pennington (11-8) has only won his second since 2016 with a clear decision on 42-year-old middle school teacher Marion Reneau. Pennington’s fiancé, Tecia Torres, broke a skid of four battles since 2017 with a one-sided decision on Brianna Van Buren on the initial undercard.

Justin Jaynes made his UFC storybook debut, stopping Frank Camacho with an attack in just 41 seconds. 30-year-old Jaynes received a fight just three days ago when Matt Frevola was pulled from a Las Vegas card for a team-positive corona virus test.

In two matches featuring experienced veterans, Lauren Murphy won unanimous decisions over fellow flying class veterans Roxanne Modafferi, and Bobby Green controlled her victory over Clay Guida.