Alexander Volkanovski reflects on Islam Makhachev’s comments pre-UFC 294 about “fighting for the money” as well as his emotional press conference
Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev faced off in the main event of UFC 294 in October in a thrilling rematch of their fight in February.
Ahead of the fight, Volkanovski was visibly frustrated with the narrative that he had nothing to lose against Makhachev, given that he was replacing Chares Oliveira on short-notice.
His opponent, Makhachev, also expressed the opinion that Alexander Volkanovski had only accepted the short-notice matchup for money, during the pre-fight press conference.
There was much anticipation entering their clash in Abu Dhabi, given how competitive their UFC Perth fight was. But Makhachev stunned fans as he knocked out Volkanovski in Round 1.
'The Great' appeared at the post-fight press conference, where he shared an emotional moment with the media about his mental state ahead of the fight.
Alexander Volkanovski has now reflected on his appearance at the press conference and Islam Makhachev's comments about accepting the rematch "for the money".
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he said this:
"I'm gonna be [at the press conference] when I win, I'm gonna be there when I lose. I was emotional, and I'm okay with that. I don't care if people see me a little bit emotional. People can understand how serious this is to me."
Volkanovski continued:
"You obviously had Islam, you had a lot of people saying I'm just doing this for the paycheck. Did that look like someone that was just doing it for a paycheck? Family is everything to me... So being successful is the main thing. But maybe legacy did mean more to me, and that's why it stung"
Watch the video below from 10:00:
Alexander Volkanovski explains why he is "glad" fans saw a more emotional side to him after UFC 294
Alexander Volkanovski suffered the first KO loss of his UFC career against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October.
'The Great' appeared at the post-fight press conference following the event, something not usually done by fighters who have lost, particularly if they were KO'd.
During his press conference, Volkanovski shared a heartfelt moment with the media members, where he admitted to facing some mental health difficulties in the months before UFC 294.
But during his recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Alexander Volkanovski explained why he was glad that fans could see that side of him. He said this:
"I'm glad people got to see it. The people that have reached out in a positive way, it's been incredible, so I'm glad. Because everyone gets a little uneasy, a little uncomfortable in their life. I usually deal with it really well..." [2:08-2:28 in the aforementioned video]