Alexander Volkanovski breaks silence after UFC 298 loss to Ilia Topuria: “I’m gonna let my head rest”
Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is going to take some time off.
‘The Great’ is fresh off his return earlier this month against Ilia Topuria. The featherweight champion was back for the first time since a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in October, a short-notice bout for him. Unfortunately for Alexander Volkanovski, he suffered yet another stoppage loss against ‘El Matador’.
In the main event of UFC 298 earlier this month in Anaheim, the featherweight champion was badly knocked out in round two. Quickly, many fans and fighters speculated that Alexander Volkanovski didn’t take enough time off after his last bout. Since the loss to Ilia Topuria, the Australian has been very quiet.
The good news is, Alexander Volkanovski has heard your concerns. The former UFC featherweight champion recently took to YouTube and released a video discussing his loss to Ilia Topuria. There, Volkanovski stated that he needed to take some time off just for the sake of his head. He also noted that depending on when ‘El Matador’ wants to defend the title, he might have to reject a potential rematch.
That being said, Alexander Volkanovski is confident that he will win the UFC featherweight title. ‘The Great’ ended the video by promising to fans that he would do everything in his power, to become champion once again.
Former champion Alexander Volkanovski opens up on UFC 298 loss to Ilia Topuria
“I’m gonna let the head rest so the training’s gonna be clever, especially for a couple of months,” Alexander Volkanovski stated in a recent video on his YouTube channel, recapping his loss to Ilia Topuria. “It’s good. That’s what I’ve been able to do this week. I’ve felt great. Depending on what Ilia does, if he was to want to be very active and fight soon, which would mean my rematch would be rushed, alright, I’m happy to be like, ‘If you’re gonna be that active, I’m gonna have to wait.’” (h/t MMA Fighting)
He continued, “I know my next fight is definitely gonna be for the title and the rematch but if he was to go somewhere else because he’d want to be active, which I would be more than okay with. Obviously, I’m not gonna do that because of my head, you want to take that serious, but my next fight will definitely 100 percent be the rematch.”
“Mark my words, I am getting that belt back,” Alexander Volkanovski concluded. “I’m gonna do everything in my power.”
What do you make of these comments from Alexander Volkanovski? When do you think ‘The Great’ should fight next?
