Alexander Volkanovski was drinking every day for weeks before stepping in on short notice to face lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev in October.
Originally, Makhachev was slated to defend his title in the UFC 294 main event against the very man he defeated to win the title, Charles Oliveira. However, ‘Do Bronx’ was forced to withdraw after sustaining a cut while training. Desperate for a replacement, the UFC called Volkanovski who went toe-to-toe with the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ in a Fight of the Year contender nine months prior.
On just 11 days’ notice, Volkanovski accepted the fight and quickly whipped himself into shape.
This time around, it only took Islam Makhachev three minutes to finish Volk, blasting the featherweight champ with a perfectly placed head kick that kickstarted a brutal fight-ending sequence.
Speaking with David Adesanya on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Volkanovski revealed that when the UFC had called him with the offer, he had been drinking every day for weeks and was significantly out of fight shape.
“I’m known for being disciplined, professional all year round, twenty four, seven. And I just wasn’t that time. So I was really disappointed and I was more upset with who I was than previous months leading into that. And to be honest, it made it a little bit easier because it snapped me out of it.
“You know what I mean? It snapped me out like I was drinking every day of, for three, four weeks. Honestly, I don’t even know if I’ve got that. That’s unheard of for me every day. I’ve never ever done that. But I was just.”
Ilia Topuria Predicts a First-Round KO Against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298
On Saturday, February 17, Alexander Volkanovski will return to the Octagon to defend his featherweight crown against undefeated contender Ilia Topuria. Since securing his shot with a decisive decision victory over Josh Emmett last year, ‘El Matador’ has been brimming with confidence. So much so that he already updated his bios on social media to read “UFC world champion.”
Speaking with UFC Espanol, Topuria offered a very bold prediction for his impending title tilt with the No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
“I see myself finishing him in the first round – knockout,” Topuria said. “It’s most likely going to be a knockout unless he dives for my legs. I’m going to put his lights out. I’m part of the new generation of MMA. I bring an evolved style in all areas of the sport: on the feet, in the wrestling, in the grappling. I consider myself a far more complete and effective finisher than Volkanovski” (h/t Sportskeeda MMA).