Alexander Volkanovski is speaking out after his disappointing knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298 last night (Sat., Feb. 17, 2024) inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Volkanovski was looking good against Topuria, taking the first round on all three judges’ scorecards. He continued to fight well through the second round as well until he got pushed back into the cage by a Topuria barrage. Most of the punches missed, but a hard right caught him clean on the jaw and put him to sleep, officially ending the Volk era (watch highlights).
From the moment Volkanovski was back on his feet, he was calling for a rematch. He stumped for it hard during UFC 298’s post-fight press conference, and that’s what he’s doing now in a new video on his YouTube channel.
“Just thought I’ll do a video to just let you know I’m all good, and obviously to talk about what happened last night,” Volkanovski said. “I always break down fights when I win, so I’m going to make sure I break down them when I lose, too. This is a crazy game we play. You can’t win them all, you know? Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail.
“Last nigh I was a nail,” he continued. “I’ve been the hammer many times. I’ve ruined a lot of people’s party many times. Last night, Ilia got the job done.”
Volkanovski then gave an honest assessment of how the fight went.
“I thought I was doing great — I felt great in there,” he said. “You know what? You know, I think the judges had me, up the first round, and I think I was starting to pick it up even more in the second. I was ready to even go another level. Had him missing, started to touch him, and then I was going to keep adding on.
“He did a great job of getting me to the cage where we knew we didn’t wanna be with someone like him,” Volkanovski added. “He got me there and when I probably had better options than looking for a counter after he backed me up there, he caught me. So, you know, he did did a great job to find that great shot. And that’s all you need in this sport.
“Next time, it’ll be different,” he declared. “But I’m just going to have a little bit of a rest. You know, I definitely want that rematch. Spain, from what I’m hearing, is going to happen. Dana wants Spain. Obviously, Ilia wants Spain. That probably won’t be until later in the year, so the timing would be perfect for me to spend time with the fam, rest up a little bit, look after myself, and then we’ll get back in there. And we’ll make it right. We’ll make it right on my end.
“So, I’m going to do everything right for the next one,” Volkanovski concluded. “And I’m going to get that belt back, mark my words. But again, I appreciate the support. You guys are awesome. All I can say is I’ll be back.”
“The Great” has a good enough resume to call for an immediate rematch. He’s been the Featherweight champion since 2019, defending five times over the years. But, it’s been a rough 12 months for the former champion. He’s 1-3 over his last four with two knockout finishes in a row. He definitely shouldn’t have jumped back in against Islam Makhachev on short notice, and many are wondering whether he came back from that first knockout too quickly here.
If Topuria plans to fight again in the summer, is Volkanovski setting himself up for another too-quick turnaround? Or, is every month he delays just adding to the dreaded over-35 age expiration date that continues to prove correct at lower weight classes?
For complete UFC 298 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.
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