“I never thought I’ll struggle with it,” Alexander Volkanovski breaks down after devastating headkick knockout and admits dealing with mental issues when not in training camp

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski revealed the brutal reality of fighting when it comes losing in a brutal fashion.

“I never thought I’ll struggle with it,” Alexander Volkanovski breaks down after devastating headkick knockout and admits dealing with mental issues when not in training camp

Alexander Volkanovski mentally broken after loss to Islam Makhachev (iImage via X/MMA Fighting, UFC News Today)

Alexander Volkanovski suffered the most brutal defeat of his UFC career at UFC 294. In the main event, Islam Makhachev dismantled Volkanovski with a head kick to retain the lightweight title. Volaknovski did not go unconscious with the kick, but the referee stopped the bout after Makhachev followed through with punches.

In the post-fight presser, Volkanovski broke down when referencing about fighting and being in training camps. This is what he said before he broke down mentally.

I never thought I’d struggle with it, but for some reason, when I wasn’t fighting or in camp, f**k, sorry, I was just doing my head in. I needed a fight, and then this opportunity came up.
Alexander Volkanovski at the UFC 294 Post Fight Press Conference
YouTube video

Volkanovski was rumored to fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC 297. It was before his announcement as the short-notice replacement for the UFC 294 main event. Mateusz Gamrot was the backup for the fight, but the UFC picked Volkanovski. Interestingly, Dustin Poirier also announced his availability after Charles Oliveira pulled out due to injury. Moreover, UFC 294 also had a short-notice replacement in the co-main event in the form of Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion of the UFC.

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Before the return of Jon Jones at UFC 285, Volkanovski was the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter. “The Great” achieved notoriety with his trilogy series with Max Holloway, followed by a close contest against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. However, the most impressive thing that Volkanovski did that surprised the MMA community was his escaping Brian Ortega‘s mounted guillotine at UFC 266.

Islam Makhachev is not somebody you should fight on short notice according to Alexander Volkanovski

In the post-fight presser of UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski spoke about many things ranging from family to mental health. An integral part of the issue was a visibly emotional Volkanovski’s struggle with mental health concerning fighting and fight camps. Furthermore, he also spoke about his decision to fight Islam Makhachev.

Sean Strickland thinks Alexander Volkanovski is making 2 million dollar.
Sean Strickland thinks Alexander Volkanovski is making 2 million dollars. (Image via: MMA Fighting)

He had to say this about fighting Islam Makhachev on short notice at the post-fight presser:

You know, couldn't make better decisions. But, you know, again, he's not somebody you should be taking short notice fight. Obviously, a lot of people will say it's for the money and all that. But it's much more than that.

In the aftermath of the loss to Makhachev, Volkanovski pleaded with the UFC to keep him busy. “The Great” wanted to defend the featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 in Vancouver, Canada. Interestingly, Topuria tweeted afterwards about fighting Volkanovski in January of 2024.

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