“Preparation is key,” Coming off knockout loss, Alexander Volkanovski details BIGGEST takeaway from title fight against Islam Makhachev
To Alexander Volkanovski, even his 2-division glory losses are learning moments, geaing up for the next battle.
Alexander Volkanovski weighs in the fallout of his loss to Islam Makhachev, before UFC 298 (Source: IMAGO/Twitter/bloodyelbow.com)
Alexander Volkanovski, Robert Whittaker, and Justin Tafa attended the UFC 298 pre-fight press conference this Friday. The reigning featherweight champ meets Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298, which goes down Feb. 17 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. All three fighters are on the card (with Tafa on the prelims). At the UFC Q&A session in Sydney, he had nudged if or not the devastating knockout loss against Islam Makhachev impacted his fighting strategy.
Undefeated challenger Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) won all six of his UFC bouts thus far and has earned three performance bonuses. But unlike the title gold contender, Volkanovski has lesser momentum. Now, he weighs in on whether he needed to go back and introspect much after his KO loss to Makhachev. Here’s what he said on the matter:
Again, that's the game...you know, obviously, you are not going to take anything away from the opponent...It was a good setup. At the end of the day, I'm a big believer in preparation and that [the knockout] reminded me why preparation is key...I just couldn't pull the trigger, so I am not being too hard on myself...Alexander Volkanovski at the UFC 298 Sydney presser
Volkanovski’s clash with Topuria will be his sixth title defense, making him the longest-reigning current UFC champion. Despite 5 successful defenses, Topuria made a case for ‘The Great’ being one of his easier fights. The champ, however, thinks the opponent has a puncher’s chance. Which he thinks can hold for any given fighter.
Concurrently, which is why he thinks his loss to Islam Makhachev is not a grave affair, but rather a learning moment. The takeaway is that anything can happen and all one can do is engage in proper prepping.
Alexander Volkanovski thinks Ilia Topuria has a puncher’s shot at winning against him
Alexander Volkanovski locks horns with 14-0 streaking contender Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, for his next title defense. The 145lber Topuria trains under the Climent Club in Alicante, Spain. Head coach Jorge Climent recently prompted the corner to have an all-time high confidence in Topuria’s chances.
Consequently, Volkanovski agrees that might be just the case. The champion himself is reeling from a KO loss from Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. Hence, he knows that ‘a puncher’s chance’ is all anyone gets getting into a fight.
Accordingly, he has advocated the same chances for Topuria:
He's a dangerous opponent. He probably hasn't proved himself against the top guys but it doesn't mean he is not as good as he says he is. Everyone does have a puncher's chance, but to be quite honest, that's all he's got...Alexander Volkanovski said
Despite having a 50-50 split shot at winning, the titleholder is confident in his own mettle and battle IQ. He nudged on having more battle experience.
Between his last two fights, Volkanovski proved he’s a legitimate champion despite a loss. At UFC 290 in July, Volkanovski had a flawless defense of his title against Yair Rodriguez. He has won all 16 of his professional fights at featherweight and is undefeated at 145 lbs. And he plans to prove it yet again, come this Feb, 17.
In case you missed it:
- “Just two GOATS vibing” – NFL Legend Tom Brady plays catch with UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski leaving fans in awe of crossover
- “Cooking suits you better”- Ilia Topuria provides STERN response to Alexander Volkanovski claiming to take his undefeated record
Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)