Alexander Volkanovski Reflects on Decision to Take Makhachev Fight on Short Notice

Alexander Volkanovski was aware of the risk and reward involved in taking on a short-notice fight with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

Unfortunately for the UFC featherweight champion, his eagerness and determination to continuously add accolades to his legacy seems to have cost him this time around. Following a brutal Round 1 knockout loss to Makhachev in their rematch at UFC 294, Volkanovski reflected on his performance and discussed what led him to take on the short-notice bout during the post-fight press conference.

“I don’t want to sit there and obviously make excuses,” Volkanovski said. “You know what I mean? Obviously, I’m a big believer in preparation and stuff like that. But I back myself, so that’s the decision I made. You know what I mean? I’ve probably made decisions… I could’ve made better decisions, but he’s not somebody you should be taking a short notice with. But I needed it. A lot of people will say it’s for the money and all that, but it was much more than that. It was hard. It really is hard for athletes. Sorry. … I never thought I’d struggle with it, but for some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp, f—k, sorry. … I was just doing my head in. I needed a fight.”

Despite the devastating loss, Volkanovski is eager to honor his commitment to defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria in January 2024.

“I need to be busy. Again, it’s just I think my purpose obviously now is family and fighting,” he said. “When I’m not fighting, I don’t feel like I’m ticking all the boxes. I need to be ticking all the boxes. I don’t like wasting time.”