Alexander Volkanovski dismisses much touted strength of Islam Makhachev post UFC 284, calls for rematch

Alexander Volkanovski was defeated by Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 via a unanimous decision last night. The featherweight champion revealed that he was not impressed with his opponent's strength and that he would like a rematch down the line.

#UFC284 Official Scorecards: Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) vs Alexander Volkanovski

See every judges' scorecard from #UFC284 here ➡️: ufc.com/news/official-… https://t.co/5DJgiyxJdU

Speaking to the media at his post-fight press conference, 'The Great' said:

"There was positions where I was like he's not strong. I even said to my corner, you'll probably hear it, I'm like, 'oh, he's not strong'. I'm not being a d**k. I wasn't being disrespectful. I was just like, 'oh, he's not strong, but maybe he's baiting me, maybe he's waiting for me to do something'. I didn't capitalize on it straight away which I should have."

Alexander Volkanovski was then asked if he is hoping to face Islam Makhachev again, to which he replied:

"I'll watch the fight and see what it was like. I'm hearing that he was saying - I heard it I swear, could be wrong- that he was going back to his corner saying he wants a rematch because he thought he lost so that's funny. I'm going to jump on that. Rematch."

Although Volkanovski lost on all three judges' scorecards, there were plenty of claims that he was robbed of double champ status. In the post-fight octagon interview return, he said that he would return to featherweight to defend his title against interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez, who became the interim champ in the co-main event of UFC 284.

Watch Alexander Volkanovski's comments on Islam Makhachev below (starting at the 1:11 mark):

Alexander Volkanovski shares that he believes he defeated Islam Makhachev after watching the fight

In his UFC 284 post-fight press conference, Alexander Volkanovski repeatedly stated that he would have to re-watch the fight before being able to weigh in on the judges' decision. The featherweight champion took to Twitter after watching the fight to share that he believes he did enough to win the bout:

"Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2,3 and 5. Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime! 👊"

The judges saw things differently from Volkanovski as all three judges awarded Makhachev the second round, while Derek Cleary also believed that the lightweight champion won the third round. While it is unclear if the two champions will clash down the line, fans will have to settle for a UFC 284 bout that is an early contender for Fight of the Year.

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's tweet on the judges' decision at UFC 284 below:

Just watched the fight, I definitely think I won 2,3 and 5. Surprised I didn’t get my hand raised! Let’s do the rematch, anywhere, anytime! 👊