- Alexander Volkanovski’s coach Eugene Bareman commented on his pupil’s status after suffering a massive KO loss to Ilia Topuria
- Bareman reaffirmed that “The Great” will be pushing for a rematch preferably this year
Alexander Volkanovski’s coach Eugene Bareman is certain that the former UFC featherweight champ is in good spirits and will be aiming for the rematch this year.
Volk’s KO loss to Islam was worse
Speaking to Combat TV, Bareman did not shy away from revealing what he noticed about “The Great” following his KO loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. According to Bareman, he is no doctor but he could tell that Islam Makachev did more damage to Volkanovski compared than “El Matador.”
“In terms of like, his symptoms, he doesn’t have any symptoms, which was not the case in the last knockout [to Makhachev],” Bareman said. “There’s so many variables when it comes to having a knockout and how many symptoms you suffer, and all of that. I don’t know the science behind it and I’m not gonna begin to try to understand it but he seems to not be as affected by this concussion as he was by the last one,” Bareman continued. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you why.”
A rematch is certain
Volkanovski quickly pleaded for a rematch in his post-UFC 298 presser but Topuria isn’t sure if that’s also what he wants to do. For Bareman, the most important thing is for Volk to get enough rest and after that, rest assured they would be calling for a rematch sooner rather than later.
“He definitely needs to rest. He needs to rest his head. He needs to be sensible, but he also will be very keen to get that rematch this year… him and the team are very keen to fix up some of those mistakes,” Bareman concluded.
Prior to losing his title to Topuria, Volkanovski successfully defended his featherweight belt five times. It is also the first time “The Great” lost two consecutive fights in his stellar pro MMA career.
As for “El Matador,” the new featherweight champ seems to be placing his finger in every pie. Shortly after winning the 145-pound title, Topuria began calling out the biggest names in the UFC, including Conor McGregor, Islam Makhachev and recently, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Watch Bareman’s full interview below:
