“I’ve never been concussed” - Alexander Volkanovski says Islam Makhachev’s KO kick “messed with his head” during UFC 294's post-fight press conference
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski recently described the impact his knockout loss against Islam Makhachev had on mentality.
Volkanovski moved up in weight to challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in February 2023, but lost the closely contested fight on the judges’ scorecards. Makhachev’s next opponent, Charles Oliveira, was forced to pull out of their UFC 294 bout, which was a rematch, due to injury.
As a result, Volkanovski stepped up to rematch Makhchev on 11 days’ notice, but lost the fight via head kick knockout. The disappointing loss loomed large on the post-fight press conference as Volkanovski appeared to be in an emotionally vulnerable state.
During a recent interview with David Adesanya on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Volkanovski said:
“I did have a light concussion which messes with the head, by the way. I’ve never had a concussion before. So I’m lucky enough to have played football, yes, I’ve been playing Rugby league for however long I was, and fighting however long, I’ve never been concussed. It messes with your head, obviously emotionally as you’ve seen on the post-fight press conference.”
Watch the full interview below (9:10):
Alexander Volkanovski says the Islam Makhachev loss helped him ‘snap out’ of indiscipline
Islam Makhachev ended Alexander Volkanovski’s 22-fight unbeaten run in their first meeting and handed him a knockout loss when they met the second time.
Continuing further in the interview, the 35-year-old was asked if it was easier to process the knockout loss since he took to the fight on short notice. Volkanovski said that he was lacking discipline in his life at the time. According to him, the loss gave him a reality check and helped him get focused again:
“I’m known for being a disciplined professional all year round, 24X7 and I just wasn’t at that time. So I was really disappointed and I was more upset with who I was than previous months leading into that. It made [processing the loss] a little bit easier because it snapped me out of it. I was drinking every day for about three to four weeks. That’s unheard of for me. I’ve never, ever done that.”
Volkanovski will attempt the sixth defense of his UFC featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on Feb. 17, 2024. It is being speculated that the lingering effect of the knockout loss might affect the champion's performance in the fight. However, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping recently chimed in with his thoughts and dismissed the argument.