Alexander
Volkanovski is maintaining a strong sense of resolve on the
heels of his second consecutive knockout loss.
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Volkanovski relinquished the featherweight title to Ilia
Topuria in the
UFC 298 headliner this past Saturday, as he succumbed to a
devastating right hook from his opponent at the 3:32 mark of Round
2. The defeat ended a championship reign at 145 pounds that had
lasted more than 1,500 days for the 35-year-old Australian.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski assessed his
performance, pointing out some of the positives that occurred
before the decisive punch landed.
“This is a crazy game we play,” he said. “We can’t win them all.
Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. Last fight
I was the nail; I’ve been the hammer many times. I’ve ruined a lot
of people’s parties many times. [Saturday] night, Ilia got the job
done.
“I thought I was doing great. I felt great in there. I think the
judges had me up the first round, and I think I was starting to
pick it up even more in the second,” Volkanovski continued. “I was
ready to even go another level. I had him missing, I was starting
to touch him, and I was going to start adding on, and he did a
great job of getting me to the cage where we knew we didn’t want to
be with someone like him.
“He got me there when I probably had better options than looking
for a counter. After he backed me up there, he caught me. He did a
great job to find that, a great shot, and that’s all you need in
this sport.”
While Topuria has only been lukewarm regarding a potential rematch,
Volkanovski seems to be intent on making it happen — and he’s
willing to do so in the champion’s home country.
“Next time, it’ll be different, but I’m going to just have a little
bit of a rest,” Volkanovski said. “I definitely want that rematch.
Spain, what I’m hearing, is going to happen. Dana wants Spain,
obviously Ilia wants Spain. That probably won’t be until later in
the year.
“So the timing would be perfect for me to spend time with the fam,
rest up a little bit, look after myself and then we’ll get back in
there. We’ll make it right on my end. I’m going to do everything
right for the next one, and I’m going to get that belt back. Mark
my words.”