Heavyweight boxing icon Tyson Fury had some words of encouragement for Alexander Volkanovski following the Aussie’s setback at UFC 294.
Stepping into the main event spotlight on just 11 days’ notice, Alexander Volkanvoski had the utmost confidence that he would come out on top after narrowly missing out on becoming a two-division world champion in February. Unfortunately, it was not mean to be as ‘The Great’ suffered a brutal head kick KO three-minutes into his UFC 294 headliner again Islam Makhachev.
Following the loss, an emotionally distraught Volkanovski spoke about his “struggle” to stay active, even if it is against his best interest.
After opening up to members of the media during his post-fight press appearance, Tyson Fury shared his take on Volkanovski’s comments and was able to relate, citing his own struggles with finding an opponent and whether or not he would ever get the opportunity to compete again.
“I’ve been in that situation all year,” Tyson Fury stated in an interview with TheMACLife reacting to Volkanovski’s post-fight comments. “I’ve not boxed since last year, early December of 2022, and I didn’t even know if I would box again. Out of the blue, all of this has come, and now I’ve got not one, but two fights lined up.”
As for any advice he might have, Tyson Fury suggested that Volkanovski not be too hard on himself.
“What I would say to Alexander is to keep going. He’s a very good professional athlete, and you win some, you lose some. Dust yourself off, get back in there, and kick ass!”
Tyson Fury relates to Alexander Volkanovski's recent post fight comments and tells him to "Dust yourself off, get back in there and kick ass." pic.twitter.com/CJQAiTqT5v
— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) October 24, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski Still Eyeing a Return at UFC 297
Of course, Fury doesn’t know much about what it feels like to lose. Thus far, ‘The Gypsy King’ is a perfect 33-0 with only one draw in his professional boxing career. On October 28, he will return to the squared circle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Depending on how things play out during the crossover clash, Fury hopes to return to the ring in December for a long-awaited title unificiation match with Oleksandr Usyk.
As for Alexander Volkanovski, ‘The Great’ is determined to return in January for UFC 297, defending his featherweight title against No. 5 ranked contender Ilia Topuria. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but an announcement regarding the January 20 event should be coming in the next few weeks.
Watch the full clip below:
