Alexander Volkanovski fires back at robbery claims in Islam Makhachev rematch with bold stance
Islam Makhachev had a tough time at UFC 284 against Alexander Volkanovski, though he won the fight via unanimous decision. Though many believe judges robbed 'The Great,' the 36-year-old doesn't share the same sentiment.
Makhchev vs. Volkanovski had immense significance as they were the top 2 pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC at the time. The fight lived up to the hype, winning the promotion's Fight of the Year award for 2023.
The former featherweight champion recently rewatched the fight with TNT Sport's Adam Catterall. Volkanovski admitted that Islam Makhachev is very good but he felt he was underestimated. Interestingly, he didn't think the fight was a robbery.
"I mean, like we knew, I knew it was close going in. You got a lot of people, again, you know, you talk about, as I said with Max one. Close fight. I never call them, that's not a robbery," Volkanovski said.
'The Great' mentioned that there were too many close rounds in his fight against Makhachev, which he felt didn't warrant a robbery tag. Volkanovski also shared that he empathized with Makhachev as he received the same criticism after rematching Max Holloway.
Volkanovski won the featherweight title from Holloway at UFC 245 by unanimous decision. However, in the rematch at UFC 251, 'The Great' could only win via split decision, with many believing 'Blessed' had done enough to reclaim the featherweight strap.
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comment below (0:14):
Alexander Volkanovski shares honest thoughts on short-notice fights vs Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski is presently on a three-fight losing streak, the last two via knockout. After losing to Islam Makhachev via head kick at UFC 294, Volkanovski suffered a similar fate at the hands of Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.
'The Great' had fought at UFC 294 on less than two weeks' notice, and many believe he rushed back to fight Topuria. In the aforementioned interview, Adam Catterral asked Volkanovski whether he regretted this decision.
"Do I regret it? It's such a tough one because I can't say I regret it because that's the guy I am, that mindset, that mentality. The guy that will turn up and take on them challenges. He's the one that steps into the gym," Volkanovski said [1:36].
The 36-year-old firmly believes that he is where he is now, one of the best fighters ever, because of the same mentality. Volkanovski admitted that it won't always work his way but has no intention of changing his mindset.