Alexander Volkanovski's UFC 298 Loss: Reflecting on Makhachev's Influence
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Alexander Volkanovski lost to Ilia Topuria on Saturday at UFC 298. The new champion knocked out the Australian in the contest's second round. It was a surprise result for some people watching the fight. Yet, many people wonder if Volkanovski's loss to Islam Makhachev was on his mind.
Alexander Volkanovski Vs Ilia Topuria
There was a lot of excitement heading into the contest, as both men were great competitors. Volkanovski has been one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. Yet, Topuria was the better fighter on the night. It was a competitive first round, with nothing separating the two. Volkanovski went with the heavy kicking approach. You could sense that Topuria could do damage if he connected with a strike. It was a beautiful shot to end the fight in the second round.
Volkanovski On The Loss
That is back-to-back KO losses for Volkanovski, and the first was against Makhachev. When a fighter gets knocked out by a big shot, that can sometimes factor into the next contest. Yet, Volkanovski said he felt good in the Octagon on Saturday. The Australian said he regrets nothing at the UFC 298 post-fight press conference.
"You can't take anything away from Topuria," Volkanovski said. "If he touches you like that, you'll go down. That's that. It was a clean right hand; no matter who you are, you let one of those land on your chin. You're going down; he caught me. I won't take anything away from him.
"I'm not going to say it was this or that. I felt good in there. I saw everything Topuria threw and knew he would be fast and powerful. I'm pretty durable, so I'm all good with that."
Quotes via MMA News
It will be interesting to see what Volkanovski does from here. He will likely get a rematch for the title due to his long reign.