‘I Was Struggling A Bit’
Alexander Volkanovski just needed to fight.
Volkanovski was finished for the first time in ten years yesterday at UFC 294 (Sat., Oct. 21, 2023) when he got head kicked and then pounded out in the first round by Islam Makhachev from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE (watch highlights).
During UFC 294 fight week, the 35-year-old Featherweight champion was accused by Makhachev of only taking the anticipated rematch for a nice big paycheck; however, Volkanovski revealed it was much bigger than that.
He needed to fight for his mental health.
“I don’t want to sit there and obviously make excuses. You know what I mean?” Volkanovski told the media during the UFC 294 post-fight press conference (watch here). “Obviously, I’m a big believer in preparation and stuff like that. But I back myself, so that’s the decision I made. You know what I mean? I’ve probably made decisions- I could’ve made better decisions, but he’s not somebody you should be taking a short notice [fight] with, but I needed it.
“A lot of people will say it’s for the money and all that, but it was much more than that. It was hard. It really is hard for athletes. Sorry… [Volkanovski got choked up] I never thought I’d struggle with it, but for some reason, when I wasn’t fighting or in camp, f—k, sorry, I was just doing my head in. I needed a fight, and then this opportunity came up.”
“To be honest, I wasn’t training as much as I should’ve,” Volkanovski continued. “But I thought I had to do it. I had to take it. I’m telling myself it’s meant to be. I was struggling a bit, not fighting, doing my head in. I don’t know how. Everything’s fine. I have a beautiful family, but I don’t know. I think you just need to keep busy. That’s why I just asked the UFC to keep me busy. I just need to be keeping busy. I need to be in camp, otherwise, I’m going to do my head in.”
Alexander Volkanovski reveals he’s been dealing with mental struggles with inactivity, and ‘needed this fight for more than money’ pic.twitter.com/gsnpJJIu3j
— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) October 21, 2023
Volkanovski has always been honest, but he was raw with his emotions for the first time.
Volkanovski wants to turn around in three months and fight Ilia Topuria in Toronto for the first pay-per-view of 2024. Who knows if it is a good idea because he just got knocked out, but if it will keep the Featherweight champion happy and mentally well, go for it, champ.
For complete UFC 294 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
https://www.mmamania.com/2023/10/22/23927081/watch-emotional-alexander-volkanovski-explain-he-rematch-against-islam-makhachev-i-was-struggling