Alexander Volkanovski opened up about a costly mistake in his career. On The Unscripted Show, the former UFC featherweight champion admitted he returned too soon after a knockout loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October 2023. Just four months later, he faced Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024 and lost his title via a second-round knockout. Volkanovski said the concussion from Makhachev’s head kick affected his performance, leaving him cautious and unfocused against Topuria. Now back as champion after winning at UFC 314, he reflects on the lesson learned.
Volkanovski’s Regret
Volkanovski spoke candidly.
“I go in too early and I get knocked out, I lose my belt,” he said on The Unscripted Show. “That’s the fact and that’s what happened. I’m not taking anything away from Ilia. I’m just saying that that’s what can happen.”
He described the Topuria fight.
“So I got a crazy shin to the noggin and obviously Ilia can hit hard, we’ve seen that, but I mean, I’ve never been just completely lights out like that. I was lights out for a couple of minutes. He got me in the cheek. But as soon there was one good connection: snoring.”
Volkanovski questioned his readiness.
“So am I saying that wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have the Islam knockout loss? I don’t know,” he said. “Again, Topuria’s very capable of knocking me out. A lot of people were like, ‘You were winning until you got caught.’ Yeah, that was the case, but I still wasn’t fighting my fight.”
Impact of the Makhachev Knockout
Volkanovski detailed the Makhachev fight’s toll.
“A shin to the dome like that, that’s proper contact to the brain,” he said. “That’s trauma to the brain, direct brain trauma. It sounds terrible when I say it like that, but you get what I mean. You hit the chin and it rattles. This was bang and, like, direct contact.”
He recalled the moment.
“I remember hearing it was like ‘chzoooooo’ and everything’s just going all over the place. I was like, ‘Noooo,’ I knew what’s happening. It looked like I was cross-eyed because everything was just everywhere and weird noises, but I was sort of there in a sense like, ‘No,’ like I knew what happened. ‘Try and get yourself back together, defend yourself.’ I couldn’t defend myself my hands just wouldn’t do what I wanted.”
Volkanovski ignored recovery protocols.
“I end up fighting just after three months later with a bad concussion,” he said. “Most people have six months, no head contact, and then start camp. I started training, when you’re training you’re starting head contact pretty quickly.” Via MMAFighitng
Volkanovski’s emotional struggle after the Makhachev loss was public.
“You’ve seen this footage of me sort of breaking down and not knowing what I’m—If I’m like this now, how am I going to be after the sport’s done?” he said. Fans on X noted concerns about his quick return, with one writing, “Even the fans were saying it was too soon.”
He admitted to ignoring advice.
“I was worried about getting hit and I was freaking out in there and I remember sitting there, I was in two minds,” he said. “Try not to get hit but then telling myself, ‘You’re alright. You’ll come back to it. Relax.’ If I was that worried, then why didn’t I just shoot and be more defensive and just take him down and just hold him there, but then I would tell myself, ‘You don’t need to do that. You’re alright.’”
Alexander Volkanovski, 36, has a 27-4 MMA record, with 14-3 in the UFC. He turned pro in 2011, competing in Australian promotions before joining the UFC in 2016 with a TKO over Yusuke Kasuya at UFC Fight Night 101. He won the featherweight title against Max Holloway at UFC 245 in 2019, defending it five times against Holloway (twice), Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez. Volkanovski lost to Makhachev twice at lightweight, first by decision at UFC 284 in 2023, then by knockout at UFC 294. His loss to Topuria at UFC 298 ended his featherweight reign. He regained the title against Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in April 2025. He trains at Freestyle Fighting Gym in Wollongong, Australia.
