đź‘Šđź‘ŹAlexander Volkanovskiy said he doesn’t regret fighting Islam Makhachev on short notice, nor does he regret not taking more time off before fighting Ilya Topria:
“I have no regrets, that’s who I am and that’s what made me a champion…
If I wasn’t that kind of guy… pic.twitter.com/0Pzhncx2gM
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 28, 2024
Alexander Volkanovski has no regrets about his decision to make a quick turnaround after his recent knockout loss.
Volkanovski replaced Charles Oliveira on 11 days’ notice to challenge Islam Makhachev’s lightweight title at UFC 294 in October 2023. Volkanovskiy suffered a brutal head kick knockout loss to Makhachev in his second unsuccessful double championship fight. “The Great” put his featherweight title on the line right after his fight with Ilya Topria at UFC 298 in February of this year. Volkanovski suffered another shocking knockout in the second round, losing the strap. Many believe Volkanovskiy should not have fought Makhachev so quickly, or at least take some time off after the knockout loss.
But Volkanovski doesn’t regret his decision, even if the result doesn’t go in his favor. The Australian, known for stepping up quickly, believes his dominance in the championship is the result of that mentality. However, the former champion regrets not being at his best for his rematch with Makhachev at UFC 294.
“No, I have no regrets. That’s who I am,” Volkanovski recently told Ariel Helwani. “That’s what made me a champion. Now a lot of people think it was just a bad idea. But if you look at me going into the match, it’s me challenging myself. …The only regret I have is I wish I had prepared better, especially before the Islam game. I wish I had trained more and put myself in a better position. I don’t regret fighting them, because that’s who I was.”
Volkanovski primarily trains at Freestyle Fighting Gym in New South Wales, Australia, under the guidance of head coach Joe Lopez, but also competes in New Zealand’s City Kickboxing and Thailand’s Freestyle Fighting Gym. He goes back and forth between Tiger Muay Thai. Many recognize Volkanovski’s quick change of direction as the wrong decision and place the blame on his team. However, Volkanovski defended his team, saying they were only supporting his choice.
“A lot of people are going to be tough on the team, saying it’s their fault,” he said. “But let’s be real, everyone knows who I am, and at the end of the day it comes down to what I said. Until you go in a different direction, The team is going to do their best. But everyone knew that I wanted that fight. The team around me accepted the challenge that I wanted to take on. It will be a challenge.”
🫡🤝Alexander Volkanovski defends his team from criticism he received for allowing a fight with Ilya Topria immediately after his KO loss to Islam Makhachev:
“A lot of people will say it’s the team’s fault and be harsh on the team, but let’s be real… pic.twitter.com/iGap9LKVED
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 28, 2024
Volkanovskiy has dropped three of his last four fights, two of which came in a lightweight title challenge against Makhachev. After Topuria defended his strap with his first KO of Max Holloway at UFC 308 last weekend, ‘The Great’ appears to be the favorite to win the featherweight division’s next title.
