“Is he fuc**ng mad,” Alexander Volkanovski reveals magical quest for fairytale ending against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294

Alexander Volkanovski faces the lion in his own den as he fights lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on 11-day notice. The blockbuster titular rematch came to fruition when Charles Oliveira had to pull out after sustaining a training injury. The short training span has not altered Volkanovski’s deep-seated ambitions for the two-division gold.

“Now 12 days, you know what I mean? Now this is like – ‘is he f**king mad? What’s he doing?” There’s no way I get to go for that fairy tale ending,” said Volkanovski on his YouTube channel. He said balancing out the odds remains a priority, with his training camp going on and him preparing at full force. However, with just short of two weeks, nobody believes he would pull off this fairytale win.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Volkanovski had previously said that what he lacked in preparation, he made up for in mindset. He had indicated being ready for the chance a long time. He also considered it a boon not to have to wait till January for a fight.

The featherweight champion was sidelined due to an elbow injury after defeating Yair Rodriguez in July. He was set to return in January to defend his belt against Ilia Topuria. However, he was not hesitant upon receiving the offer to fight Makhachev. Both of them had previously fought at UFC 284, with Makhachev coming out a victor via a controversial unanimous decision.

Related: UFC 294 star Islam Makhachev admits Alexander Volkanovski is ‘hardest fight of his life’ leading up to historic rematch

Alexander Volkanovski’s confidence and future

Alexander Volkanvski vs. Islam Makhachev 2 is set for Abu Dhabi after Charles Oliveira withdrew from the bout. The two face off in a champion vs champion match as Volkanovski once again tries to become a two-division champion. He was initially set to fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 before accepting to fight Islam Makhachev. However, he reported feeling confident about his chances.

Speaking on The MMA Hour With Ariel Helwani, the Australian reaffirmed his statements of being confident and feeling no pressure. He acknowledged the dangers of accepting a bout announced with such a short span of training but mentioned his readiness. He upholds the joint effort put into his recovery post-surgery. Volk also revealed that he hoped to defeat Makhachev and fight Topuria at UFC 297 if things go to plan.

Before he can get to Topuria and continue to cement his legacy in the division, Volkanovski aims to rectify the only blemish in his record at UFC 294. Despite a very limited preparation time, he had predicted he would finish Makhachev and go on to win.

In case you missed it:

• “I want to go out there and hurt him!” Alexander Volkanovski goes into UFC 294 with violent intentions against Islam Makhachev
• “If I could bet…” Israel Adesanya confidently backs Alexander Volkanovski to finish Islam Makhachev before the final bell

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW