Alexander Volkanovski recently opened up about the emotional aftermath of consecutive knockout losses and his journey back to the top of the UFC featherweight division following his win at UFC 314.
Alexander Volkanovski Reflects on Mental Battle After Consecutive Knockout Losses
Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” the Australian veteran admitted the hardest part of his comeback wasn’t physical, it was mental. After back-to-back stoppage defeats, including one at lightweight against Islam Makhachev and another against Ilia Topuria, many questioned whether the 35-year-old could return to elite form.
But Volkanovski proved the doubters wrong with a dominant win over Diego Lopes, reclaiming championship status and becoming the first fighter below welterweight to win UFC gold at age 35 or older.
Volkanovski acknowledged that the psychological toll of suffering knockouts weighed heavily on him. “The Great” explained that self-belief was hard to maintain, even with years of championship experience behind him.
“I am probably most proud of getting back from two knockout losses. The 35-year-old curse and all that type of stuff, that’s just a number. Coming off the knockout losses, that’s something that, scientifically, can sort of be proven, that it is hard to come back from that. Confidence levels and easier to get knocked out and things like that… I’d be lying if I wasn’t thinking of that.”
“A lot of people say they lose confidence and they just struggle after KOs. I’ll tell you right now, it’s a thing. I think it was great for me to get through that, even to get hit, even for me to get dropped, I’m glad that I was able to get through that because that’s just gonna help me even more going forward,” he added.
Volkanovski Eyes Ilia Topuria Rematch on His Terms
One topic Volkanovski didn’t shy away from was a potential rematch with Topuria. The Spanish-Georgian fighter ended Volkanovski’s long featherweight reign with a stunning second-round knockout at UFC 298. Still, the Aussie hasn’t ruled out running it back…under the right conditions.
“You’ve got to respect what (Ilia Topuria) is doing,” Volkanovski said. “He wants to chase the lightweights; let him do his thing. Maybe when I defend again and if he was to win… Then we have a rematch at lightweight.”
While Topuria is exploring options beyond featherweight, a second fight against Volkanovski (particularly at 155 pounds) could carry significant implications. Volkanovski has twice competed at lightweight recently, most notably taking Makhachev the distance in their first meeting and suffering a knockout in their second.
Whether it’s another featherweight defense or a potential superfight with Topuria, the champion has made one thing clear: he’s not done yet.