Latest news with #Volkanovski
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexander Volkanovski applauds Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier for 'incredible' UFC 318 bout
Alexander Volkanovski had plenty of praise for Dustin Poirier's retirement fight against Max Holloway. The main event of UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans for the BMF was filled with emotions as Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) entered the octagon for the final time. On the other side of the cage was a familiar foe for Volkanovski in Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC), with whom he danced three times, like Poirier has now. Naturally, the UFC featherweight champ was interested in the outcome and came away very impressed with how Holloway performed after his first knockout loss. "I'm gonna give Max a moment right now to just say how incredible that was," Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. "It is not easy to come back from losses. He's showed time and time again – from big losses, not just little losses, like world title losses after tears. Even that last one we've had, our third fight. Like, to win the way I did, you're probably thinking, 'Am I done?' You're gonna start having them negative thoughts. "For him to bounce back like he did and go on another tear, and then have his moment with Justin Gaethje – already incredible. Then, KO loss. First KO. ... How's he gonna be in a BMF fight coming off a KO loss? And why I mention BMF? BMF, it's BMF. You gotta do the (pointing to the ground). You gotta fight the fight." Volkanovski praised Holloway for weathering the storm after getting dropped by Poirier, and really digging deep to put on an incredible fight to get back on track after losing to Ilia Topuria in October. For Poirier, Volkanovski believes "The Diamond" should hold his head high, even though he came away with a loss in his retirement fight. "If you're gonna lose, that's how you lose," Volkanovski said. "That was a mad fight. He hurt Max a lot of times. I thought Dustin still looked great. He did some cool things, still weathered the storm. He looked fit, lasted the whole time. You could even see in the shape the he was in that he was definitely in incredible shape. He put the work in. That's one thing he needs to be proud of – of his career, of who he's been through his career. Not only that, his preparation. Who he was through that career, a guy who turns up in the gym and does what he needs to do. You can tell that he put everything into this. It was going to be a hard fight for him. "... Nothing to be unhappy about with that. Obviously, he was disappointed, but you shouldn't be disappointed with that. That was a great fight. Another BMF moment."
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexander Volkanovski backs Max Holloway to beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 318
Alexander Volkanovski isn't ready to write off Max Holloway just yet. Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) defends his BMF title in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Holloway is 0-2 against Poirier and coming off the first knockout loss of his career against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. "Blessed" is 0-3 against UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski, but Volkanovski sees him regaining top form just like he did after their trilogy. "He's coming off the first knockout loss ever. Not many people can bounce back from that," Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia of Holloway. "A lot of people change after that. But there's only few that can bounce back in a positive way, and I know he's one of them. "I know he'll be the type of guy to make the right adjustments or come back not only the same guy he was, maybe even look better. You might see Max even better. I think he's that type of guy that can come back with a bounce back – not only bounce back to where he was, which was already incredible, but bounce back even more than that. If he does that, it just shows you how good that bloke is." Despite questions surrounding Holloway's durability after getting knocked out in his last fight, Volkanovski is picking him to win. "I'm going to go with Max," Volkanovski said. "Obviously he's coming off a KO loss, which is something that's going to be a big factor. Not many people can bounce back from a KO loss. There's very few that can, and I think Max is definitely one of them. "I think you're maybe going to see the same Max or an even more improved Max now that he's going to even be that little bit more calculated, because you know he can. You know he's tough, you know he's got a lot of skills, but now to have even more of a calculated approach, I think he's going to be one tough man to beat."
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘The Symptoms Were Worse' – Volkanovski's Confession Catches Fans Off Guard
'The Symptoms Were Worse' – Volkanovski's Confession Catches Fans Off Guard originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Alexander Volkanovski is back on top. After a brutal stretch filled with back-to-back losses and tough questions about whether the fire was still there, he silenced all the noise at UFC 314 by recapturing the featherweight title. It was a gutsy performance, one that reminded everyone exactly who he is. But behind the victory and the cameras, Volkanovski has been carrying something far heavier than a championship belt. Advertisement During a recent sit-down with Demetrious Johnson on the MightyCast YouTube show, Volkanovski cracked the door open on what he's really been dealing with. And he didn't hold back. Alexander VolkanovskiGetty Images He spoke openly about the aftermath of his toughest fights—one against Islam Makhachev, the other against Ilia Topuria—and which one truly rattled him. 'I feel like I had more of a concussion from the Islam fight, even though I was knocked out longer with Ilia,' Volkanovski admitted. 'I had a lot more of the symptoms in that one. I should have had the break.' The words hit differently when they come from a fighter known for his toughness. Volkanovski has never been the type to make excuses, which makes this reveal all the more sobering. He didn't just lose—he felt off. Dizzy, drained, and fighting the kind of fog you can't train your way through. Advertisement Even though Topuria landed the clean knockout with a punch, and Makhachev finished him with a head kick, it was the earlier Makhachev war that left the deeper scars. It's a reminder that the hardest hits aren't always the ones that drop you. Even fans are voicing concern. One Reddit user put it plainly: 'He was KO'd 2× in 4 months, plus whatever mini concussions he got training. He really should take a full year off.' It's the kind of sentiment that mirrors what Volkanovski himself admitted—sometimes, even the toughest need to pause. Now champion once again, Volkanovski finds himself at a new crossroads. Will he take the cautious route, or stay in that high-stakes cycle of quick turnarounds and top contenders? While nothing's locked in, Volkanovski himself has expressed interest in facing rising contender Movsar Evloev—an undefeated talent climbing the ranks quickly. Advertisement Either way, Volkanovski has made one thing crystal clear: he's still here, still hungry—but this time, he's listening to his body just as much as his heart. Related: UFC Nashville: Three Fighters Who Could Be Cut with a Loss Related: UFC Signs Dangerous Heavyweight Submission Specialist in Latest Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexander Volkanovski regrets taking Ilia Topuria bout soon after Islam Makhachev KO loss
Alexander Volkanovski admits he rushed into his UFC featherweight title defense against Ilia Topuria. Just four months after he was knocked out in the first round by an Islam Makhachev head kick, Volkanovski turned around to face Topuria. Volkanovski was knocked out by Topuria at UFC 298, which had many questioning if he should have taken some time off. Looking back, Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) said he should have taken the recovery from the Makhachev loss more seriously. "I feel like I had more of a concussion from the Islam one, and even though I was knocked out longer with Ilia, I had a lot more of the symptoms with Islam," Volkanovski said in an interview with Demetrious Johnson. "So, I probably should have had more of a break. I didn't have head contact (when training for Topuria), but when you're easing into it, making sure you're not getting hit and trying to put yourself in safer positions, you even start camp wrong. I should have had the break." After suffering back-to-back knockouts, Volkanovski did end up taking some time off. He returned 14 months later to face Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314. He won the bout by unanimous decision to reclaim his 145-pound belt. "I probably should have done what I did after that fight, had the break," Volkanovski said. "It was great, but whether I did that earlier, maybe it (Topuria fight) would have been different. We don't know."
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alexander Volkanovski reveals family's unexpected request after reclaiming UFC title
Alexander Volkanovski's family advised him to retire after reclaiming his UFC featherweight title earlier this year. Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) returned from a 14-month layoff to defeat Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 in April. Volkanovski was able to rebound from back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria – the first losing skid of his career. "Straight after the fight, my whole family was just like, 'Why didn't you just put the gloves down in the middle of the octagon straight away?' They all wanted me to retire," Volkanovski said in an interview with Demetrious Johnson. "They all wanted me to, but now that I'm making the decision to keep going, I'm not probably going to bring that back up purely because maybe they're worried about affecting my frame of mind. Which I'm all right, they can say what they want, I'll deal with that OK. "I think maybe they're just trying to be selective. But they made it clear that they all wanted me to stop straight after this fight, and I'm going to be real: A lot of people don't want to talk about this, but I always was fighting for money, looking after my family. If I'm going to get punched in the face to do so, yeah, whatever, I'll try not to. It's never been about my actual legacy. Yeah, legacy that I leave behind is only going to help me build my empire for my family, and that's all that matters for me. The legacy will come with that." Volkanovski has no plans of hanging up his gloves just yet. He awaits his next title challenger, who could be Yair Rodriguez or the winner of the UFC on ABC 9 co-main event between Movsar Evloev and Aaron Pico on July 26.
