Alexander
Volkanovski doesn’t regret the decision to make a quick
turnaround ahead of his most recent knockout loss.

Volkanovski replaced Charles
Oliveira on 11 days’ notice to challenge Islam
Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 294 in October 2023.
Volkanovski went on to suffer a brutal head kick knockout loss
against Makhachev in his second failed double-champ bid. “The
Great” put his featherweight title on the line soon after against
Ilia
Topuria at UFC 298 this past February. Volkanovski went on to
lose his strap via another devastating knockout in the second
stanza. Many believe Volkanovski should not have fought Makhachev
on such short notice and should have at least taken some time off
after the knockout loss.

However, Volkanovski doesn’t regret those decisions, even if the
results didn’t favor him. Known for stepping up on short notice,
the Australian believes his dominant championship reign was a
result of that mentality. However, the former champ does regret not
being in his best shape before the rematch against Makhachev at UFC
294.

“No, I don’t regret it. That’s who I am,” Volkanovski recently told Ariel Helwani. “That’s what made me the
champion that I was. Now a lot of people think that was just a bad
idea. But if you look at it going in, that’s me challenging myself…
The only thing I regret is, especially before the Islam one – I
just wish I was more prepared. I wish I was training more and in a
better position. But I do not regret taking them fights because
that’s just who I’ve been.”

Volkanovski mainly trains at the Freestyle Fighting Gym in New
South Wales, Australia, under the tutelage of head coach Joe Lopez
while also alternating between City Kickboxing in New Zealand and
Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand. Many of those who perceive
Volkanovski’s quick turnarounds as bad decisions blame his team for
it. However, Volkanovski defends his team, saying they were just
standing with him in the choices he made.

“A lot of people are gonna be hard on the team saying it was the
team’s fault,” he said. “But let’s be real. Everyone knows what I’m
like. And at the end of the day it is gonna come down to what I
say. Your team are gonna do the best they can until you go
otherwise. But everyone knew I wanted that fight. The team I have
around me there, they’re gonna accept the challenges that I’m
willing to do and take it on.”

While Volkanovski has dropped three of his last four, two of them
were lightweight title challenges against Makhachev. “The Great” is
seemingly the most likely contender for the next title shot at
featherweight after Topuria defended his strap by knocking out
Max
Holloway for the first time at UFC 308 last weekend.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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