Alexander Volkanovski discusses how Islam Makhachev was "hanging on" to in the fourth round at UFC 284
Alexander Volkanovski believes that Islam Makhachev was tired and simply hanging on to his back during the fourth round of their back-and-forth five-round fight. The UFC featherweight champion moved up in weight to challenge UFC lightweight champion Makhachev for the latter's title at UFC 284 on February 12.
The fight went the distance, with the judges scoring it as a unanimous decision win for Islam Makhachev, who retained his title. In the latest edition of The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani indicated that many believe Makhachev clearly won the first round, whereas Volkanovski won the third and fifth rounds.
Ariel Helwani added that the second and fourth rounds were closely contested and could've been scored either way. He highlighted that despite having his back taken and trapped in a body lock in the fourth round, Volkanovski kept punching Makhachev and inflicted more damage. Damage is what's prioritized when scoring a fight as per the current rules in the sport of MMA.
Regardless, Helwani asked whether Alexander Volkanovski felt that he had a better case of having won round two rather than round four. The featherweight kingpin agreed and stated:
"Yeah, I think so. The fourth, obviously, you're right. It wasn't even like, he wasn't even trying to get there. I think he knew he couldn't choke me or submit me. So, he wasn't even going. It was just purely, you know, because he was obviously tired by that stage of just hanging on."
He continued:
"But I don't mean any disrespect. But that's what it was. That's what I was just saying. You're just hanging on now. So, that's why I started revving the crowd up and punching him in the head. But you're right; I probably was doing more damage."
Nevertheless, 'The Great' explained that although he landed more damage in the fourth round, he was in a bad position that likely didn't look good in the judges' eyes and should've escaped it.
Watch Volkanovski discuss the topic at 3:20 in the video below:
Revisiting the scorecards for Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
The Makhachev-Volkanovski matchup's official verdict was a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, and 49-46) victory for Islam Makhachev. Judges Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby scored rounds 1, 2, and 4 for Makhachev whilst handing Alexander Volkanovski rounds 3 and 5. Meanwhile, Derek Cleary controversially scored rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 for Makhachev whilst giving Volkanovski round 5.
: ufc.com/news/official-…
#UFC284 Official Scorecards: Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) vs Alexander Volkanovski
See every judges' scorecard from #UFC284 here ➡️: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/5DJgiyxJdU
Alexander Volkanovski has vehemently protested the decision loss and is lobbying for an immediate rematch, with Islam Makhachev is also ready to run it back again. That said, many expect Volkanovski to fight interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez next. However, neither of the potential matchups has been officially announced yet.