Sixteen months ago, Alexander Volkanovski’s reign as Featherweight king crumbled at UFC 298. The Australian legend was brutally knocked out by Ilia Topuria in the second round, surrendering his title in a jaw-dropping upset inside Anaheim’s Honda Center (rewatch it).
The loss hit hard, coming just three months after a devastating head-kick knockout by Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. Back-to-back stoppages sparked concerns about “The Great’s” durability, a stark contrast to his dominant 12-fight win streak that solidified him as a pound-for-pound elite.
In a candid podcast with Demetrious Johnson, Volkanovski reflected on that February night inside Honda Center and now regrets taking the fight so soon after getting knocked out by Makhachev.
“I feel like I had more of a concussion from the Islam [knockout], and even though I was knocked out longer from Ilia, I had many more symptoms. So, I probably should have had more of a break,” Volkanovski said. “I didn’t have any head contact [training for Ilia], but when you’re easing into it, making sure you’re not getting hit, and putting yourself in positions to not get hit. Even starting camp was wrong. I should’ve had a break.”
After getting put down by Topuria, Volkanovski praised his Spanish rival and just chopped it to “being the nail” after being “the hammer many times.”
The setback only fueled his fire. After months of recalibrating, “The Great” returned with a vengeance, reclaiming his Featherweight throne by defeating the red-hot Diego Lopes at UFC 314, although Volkanovski questioned what would have happened if he took the same time off after getting stopped by Makhachev
“I probably should have done what I did after getting knocked out by Islam, you know, have the break,” Volkanovski said. “But whether I did that earlier or not, maybe it would have been different. We’ll never know.”
Volkanovski awaits his first challenger in his second Featherweight title reign.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
