“I’m thinking about what I need to do,” Alexander Volkanovski reveals if devastating knockout loss against Islam Makhachev impacts his fighting strategy

Alexander Volkanovski answers whether the knockout loss to Islam Makhachev affected his game plan for UFC 298.

“I’m thinking about what I need to do,” Alexander Volkanovski reveals if devastating knockout loss against Islam Makhachev impacts his fighting strategy

Ahead of his fight in UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski claims the knockout loss to Islam Makhachev didn't change anything with his fight style (via IAMGO/X)

Alexander Volkanovski suffered a brutal knockout loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. However, ‘The Great’ didn’t take time off and wanted to get back inside the octagon soon. The UFC matched him against the rising contender Ilia Topuria for UFC 298. Now, Volkanovski answered whether the knockout loss affected his strategy for his upcoming fight.

In the UFC Q&A session in Sydney, Alexander Volkanovski claimed the knockout loss to Makhachev changed nothing in his fight style and strategy. As such, he mentioned being completely focused on his next fight with Ilia Topuria. Here is what he said:

The only way a lot of these guys can beat me is by catching me and that's it... I'm going to be calculated as always and nothing changes. Unless I'm getting asked about it I'm not really thinking about it. I'm just thinking about what I need to do to be in the best shape physically and mentally. That's all I'm focused on...
Alexander Volkanovski via The MacLife
YouTube video

Alexander Volkanovski took his fight against Islam Makhachev on an 11-day notice. However, he believed he could dethrone the Dagestani and attain the champ-champ status. But, Makhachev caught ‘The Great’ with an incredible knockout strike and finished the fight in the first round. Soon after the fight, Volkanovski revealed about his struggles with mental health and urged the UFC to offer him a fight sooner.

FS Video

As Alexander Volkanovski requested, the UFC put forth a matchup between him and Ilia Topuria for UFC 298. As such, this would mark the return of the featherweight champion after the brutal KO loss.

Alexander Volkanovski’s losses in his MMA career

Alexander Volkanovski was undefeated in the UFC until he met Islam Makhachev. He faced the lightweight champion twice in an attempt to become a double champion. However, he lost both times. While the first fight was close and gave rise to controversies, the second fight marked Makhachev as the clear winner. This was the third loss to Volkanovski in his MMA career. With two losses to Makhachev, who and how did he lose the first time?

Alexander Volkanovski's losses
Alexander Volkanovski’s losses (via thescore.com)

In his fourth professional fight in Australian Fighting Championship 5, Alexander Volkanovski faced Corey Nelson in a welterweight bout. After two hard-fought rounds, Nelson landed a head kick flush to the Australian’s face to rattle him. Soon, a follow-up uppercut sealed a KO win for Nelson. Analyzing the knockout, this also came as a result of a head kick, like Volkanovski’s KO loss to Islam Makhachev.

So far, Alexander Volkanovski has only lost thrice in his professional career, with two knockout defeats. Those two KOs resulted from a head kick underling a potential weakness in Volk’s game. Only time will tell if Ilia Topuria utilize such techniques to once again knockout the featherweight champ.

In case you missed it: