Some fighters wear their stories in scars, others, in ink. Alexander Volkov belongs to the latter. The towering Russian heavyweight has turned his back, quite literally, into a canvas of symbolism and struggle.

Volkov first revealed his now-iconic samurai tattoo at UFC 254, where he knocked out Walt Harris in the second round. Fans couldn’t look away, not just because of the finish, but because of what was painted across his back. But before this masterpiece, another creature ruled that space, one that told a very different story! 

Alexander Volkov’s Original Back Tattoo: The Stingray Tattoo

Even though Alexander Volkov’s back has two tattoos, currently, fans will only be able to see one of them. The 36-year-old Russian initially had a superb monochromatic ‘stingray’ tattoo that covered the upper part of his back. However, the Moscow native decided to get it covered later on. The design he chose has become one of the fan favorites over time. It showcases a beautifully detailed helmet of a samurai that covers Volkov’s back entirely.

The earlier inkwork was of a stingray whose fins stretched towards the left and right sides of Volkov’s back while its sting traced the line of his backbone. A close look at the tattoo revealed that it also contained a lot of detailing and patterns that form the fins of the stingray. Fans also might have been able to spot a bat if they ignored the lower part of the tattoo. 

There are no reports describing Volkov’s vision behind getting this tattoo. He might have gotten it to serve his fashion desires. But there are several reports detailing the vision behind the splendid samurai helmet that currently occupies Volkov’s back!

The Samurai Helmet: Volkov’s Current Back Tattoo Masterpiece

As we mentioned earlier, the 38-11 fighter exposed this brilliant piece of inkwork to the world for the first time at UFC 254. It may be said that the tattoo proved to be lucky for him as he finished off his opponent, Walt Harris, via a second-round KO. Volkov also talked about his then-brand-new tattoo at the post-fight press conference of the event.

The 36-year-old has also uploaded multiple snaps of the attractive piece of inkwork to his own Instagram profile. The caption to one of them describes the significance of the tattoo quite well. When translated to English, it reads, “My alter ego. It’s keeping an eye on you” . The Russian providing such a short description has left the tattoo open to a number of interpretations by the fans.

 In general, a samurai helmet represents valor, power, dedication, and the capacity to overcome life’s hardships. Volkov mentioning the tattoo as his “alter ego” might prompt fans to view him as a carrier of these qualities that show themselves at appropriate times. However, the noted artist who inked this piece on Volkov’s back described its significance as the confrontation between life and death.

Who Is Maxim Kislitsyn? The Artist Behind Volkov’s Samurai Back Tattoo

There is hardly any report about the person behind the stingray that was inked on Volkov’s back initially. But, the splendid samurai helmet on his back was inked by noted Russian artist Maxim Kislitsyn. Most followers might have already guessed that the inkwork must have taken more than one meeting to complete. Well, the completion of the eye-catching tattoo took two entire weeks and involved “55 hours of work.”

In his Instagram post, Kislitsyn also thanked Volkov for being an “incredibly resilient man”. Most fans would agree that Volkov has also proved Kislitsyn’s words to be true multiple times. But he has also admitted that he did have a hard time enduring the pain while getting the samurai helmet done.

What did Alexander Volkov endure during his back tattoo process?

The Moscow native gave out the entire story behind getting this inkwork done at the post-UFC 254 press conference. As already mentioned, Alexander Volkov showcased his tattoo to the UFC world for the first time when he entered the octagon against Walt Harris. After talking about his superb win, Volkov also addressed the experience of getting the samurai helmet inkwork on his back.

The Russian mentioned, “It was really painful, it was (expletive) painful. He did say, ‘You want to do this? You’re sure?’ And I said, ‘I’m sure. I don’t have time. I just need to go to camp for my first time.’ So he[Maxim Kislitsyn] said, ‘OK – two weeks.”

Alexander Volkov also described how the ending phase of the tattoo even had him “crying” in pain. Volkov stated, “I wanted to go to my next fight with a full-made tattoo. But it was a really hard challenge in my life. I don’t want to do tattoo more”.

But he also gave a glimpse of the warrior inside himself when he talked about his motivation to get it completed despite the pain. In his improper English, Volkov revealed, “I like that everything is finished. For me, it’s bad to go to the fights and have a tattoo (not done). I just wanted to finish everything and go to the camp. So this says something about me and my mind”. 

As he prepares for his next war against Jailton Almeida at UFC 321, the samurai on his back will once again “keep an eye” on his path, a silent reminder that strength isn’t given, it’s earned through pain, patience, and perseverance!