Alexander Volkanovski understands that MMA is a sport built around the concept of what it has done for me recently.
“Look, I think a lot of people will be able to see (their losses) and it’s a bad run and they can clearly refer to skills and things they don’t,” Volkanovski said. Take it first on tuesday. “It was a short battle of Notis that I took (against Makhachev). I wanted to fight high-risk with high rewards. I was ready to take it, so I thought I could do it.
“But a lot of people see it and it becomes like, ‘He’s finished.’ They have all the rights to think about it. But for me, for me, I see people watching at the gym, what I see while I’m preparing.
After losing to Topulia this February this past February, when Makachev came just four months after knocking him out with a malicious head kick, Volkanovsky deliberately took the year away so that he could recover his body and mind.
In his absence, fighters like Lopez stormed the gates in featherweight rankings, which created plenty of hype around him before UFC 314 on Saturday.
However, Volkanovski promises that his absence is not just an extended leave, but always working behind the scenes so that his next fight doesn’t end, like his last two.
“The preparation is where you know you still have it,” explained Volkanovsky. “It’s easy to say that a lot of people are watching the last two (loss) and taking a break and that he’s finished. But I’m in the gym and I know I’m not finished.
“People forget, that’s why we love this game, right? People can quickly remind us too.
If there was one disappointing around his upcoming title fight, then Volkanovski will not have the opportunity to revenge his past losses on Toplia after vacating a featherweight title to pursue a new path at 155 pounds.
As much as he wanted to cross paths with Topulia again, Volkanovsky cannot be too upset as he is still facing a new challenge from Lopez, who has looked better than anyone in the world at featherweight over the past few years.
“I obviously wanted to remind everyone of my rematch with Ilia and get back that victory,” Volkanovsky said. “But at least I can still fight a new generation of fighters.
“As the game has evolved, I’m fighting a young hungry guy who’s a little tearful, so I got my next best for the still-open belt.”