Alexander Volkanovski reveals what surprised him about Islam Makhachev's striking
Alexander Volkanovski went to war with Islam Makhachev over five rounds for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC 284. Makhachev successfully defended his title for the first time as the judges awarded him a unanimous decision victory.
Many believed that Volkanovski's striking would be far superior to his opponent's, while the grappling advantage belonged to Makhachev in many people's eyes. However, Dagestani was able to outstrike 'The Great' in round 1 and 3.
Volkanovski has now revealed that Islam Makhachev's distance control on the feet surprised him more than anything. 'The Great' stated that he knew Makhachev "had a good eye", but was impressed with Dagestani's spacial awareness on the feet.
Alexander Volkanovski recently appeared on Straight Talk with Mark Bouris and said this:
"Me sitting back and us both playing at this range where we're being too cautious [about] when we want to commit and go in. It wouldn't be the fight that I felt was gonna be enough to win or be entertaining. He's really good, and patient. He wouldn't overcommit ever, he would wait for me [to throw punches first]. He did a good job of that, which surprised me. I always knew he had a really good eye and was good with his distance. But I felt like he definitely did have a good eye."
Watch the interview below from 23:20:
Alexander Volkanovski moved up a weight division to face Islam Makhachev in a bid to become the UFC two-division champion, but fell just short.
'The Great' surprised many with his grappling ability. Whilst Makhachev surprised others with his competency on the feet against a world-class striker like Volkanovski.
Alexander Volkanovski is willing to face either Islam Makhachev or Yair Rodriguez next
Following UFC 284's incredibly close main event between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, calls for an immediate rematch were made. Both fighters even agreed to a rematch backstage following the conclusion of their contest.
However, Yair Rodriguez was crowned the interim featherweight champion at UFC 284 after defeating Josh Emmett, and 'The Great' will have to defend his 145 pound title against Rodriguez at some point.
Despite Volkanovski's ambition of becoming a double-champ, he is eager to face whoever is ready to fight at the earliest date. Rodriguez proposed a featherweight title fight in September, but 'The Great' stated that he would like to fight sooner than that.
During a recent video uploaded to Alexander Volkanovski's YouTube channel, he said this:
"It depends, like I'm ready to go. When's [Yair] ready to go? The rematch [against Makhachev] is there. Can [Makhachev] fight straight away? 'Cause I want to fight soon... Why don't we headline International Fight Week, Yair."
Watch the video below: