“Someone has to pay” - Andrew Tate reacts to Alexander Volkanovski’s shocking mental health confessions
Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, shared their responses to Alexander Volkanovski’s concerning comments following UFC 294.
On Saturday, October 21, Volkanovski suffered a devastating first-round loss against Islam Makhachev due to a head kick. During his post-fight press conference, the UFC featherweight king had this to say about why he accepted the short-notice rematch for the 155-pound title:
“I needed [to accept this fight against Islam Makhachev]. A lot of people would say it’s for the money and all that, but it was much more than that. It’s hard, it really is hard for an athlete. I’d never thought I’d struggle with it. For some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp, I’d just do my head in. I needed a fight.”
Volkanovski’s comments quickly went viral as fans became concerned with his mental health. Andrew Tate too chimed in with his opinion on why fighters tend to struggle when they don’t have a fight lined up:
“The reason we fight others is so we don’t fight ourselves. The reason we destroy others is so we don’t destroy ourselves. Someone has to pay. Better them than me.”
Tristan Tate responded to his brother’s post by saying:
“God bless this man. Keep him busy @ufc we love to watch him.”
Alexander Volkanovski wants to return in January, begs the UFC to keep him busy
Before accepting the fight at UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski was expected to defend his featherweight throne in January 2024 against Ilia Topuria. Despite the disappointing loss against Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski still plans to return in a few months.
During his in-cage post-fight interview, ‘The Great’ had this to say about wanting to stay active:
"I just wanna say to the UFC, please keep me busy. I don't do well when I'm not fighting. I needed to take this fight because I was doing my head in when I'm not fighting. Please keep me busy, I'm happy to go back in January."
Alexander Volkanovski holds a UFC record of 13-2, with both losses coming against Islam Makhachev at lightweight. Although he couldn’t become a two-division UFC champion, ‘The Great’ has continued to strengthen his argument for being the greatest featherweight of all time.