There’s no such thing as slowing down for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanosvki.
Volkanovski, 35, suffered his second defeat in the Octagon against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 this past weekend (Oct. 21, 2023). “The Great” made his second attempt at becoming a dual-division champion, but unfortunately for him, was met with a first round head kick and punches just over the three-minute mark of round one (watch highlights).
The plan for Volkanovski before the short-notice rematch opportunity presented itself was to defend his crown against Ilia Topuria in January 2024. That match up is still on the table, depending on Volkanovski’s health, but that’s still the goal.
“I don’t need a break,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel (h/t MMA Fighting). “I want to get back in camp. Obviously, I need to talk to doctors to make sure there’s no concussion, stitches, and whatnot but I want to get in camp.
“Like I said, I’m the best version of myself inside and outside of the cage when I have clear direction,” he concluded. “Clear direction is me having a fight and I think January still looks great to me. Ilia Topuria is obviously a very exciting fight and I can shift all my attention to that.”
The immediate aftermath was a concerning one for the 145-pound titleholder, who addressed having a rough mental space ahead of the Makhachev rematch. Volkanovski noted how he was just sharing his raw emotion and that he’s okay and in a good place. Ultimately, he was happy to express himself in a vulnerable state for the world to see despite not getting the desired outcome.
“I do want to clear the air, I was struggling the last few months,” Volkanovski said. “The newborn, surgery, not being in the gym as much as I would like and trying to be the best father I can be, [it] can take away a lot from the training, especially when you’re coming off injuries. So I wasn’t able to be in the gym as much as I like, which sometimes can make things a little more difficult.
“Two things that are most important to me — my family and my career,” he continued. “That’s how I look after my family. They’re my two purposes in life, providing for my family and how I do that is my fighting. I’m in my prime and sometimes you put a bit of pressure because I know I need to make the most of me in my prime because my days are numbered. Me and my wife, we’re great, again got a beautiful family life, we’re all good so I want everyone to know that. I don’t want everything thinking that it’s not like that. It’s me trying to deal with being a high-performance athlete and not being able to fulfill that side of things, especially the last few months.”
For complete UFC 294 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.