It’s been quite a turnaround for the UFC Featherweight Champion, who returned to action earlier this year just four months after being quickly knocked out by Islam Makhachev to capture the lightweight gold medal at UFC 294. He lasted longer in the title fight against Ilia Topuria and lost his featherweight belt by knockout in the second round.

Volkanovski, who has since been sidelined and caged for Topuria’s unprecedented knockout of Max Holloway, reflects on what happened in February and whether he can change any of it.

Volkanovski said of his four-month comeback to fight Topuria: “No. I don’t think I regret it.” Ariel Helwani Show. “This is who I am. That’s what made me a champion. A lot of people think it’s a bad idea, but if you look at it, it’s me challenging myself.

“Of course there was timing in my acceptance of Islam, but the only thing I regret is that I wish I had been, especially before Islam, I wish I had been more prepared. I wish I had had more and better education. I wish I had been in a better position but because I fought with them “I don’t regret it because, as I said, I’ve always been this way.”

Volkanovski, one of the most active champions we’ve seen in the UFC, fought just three times last year and agreed to face lightweight champion Islam Makhachev halfway around the world in Abu Dhabi 11 days in advance.

While his decision to fight Makhachev and Topuria on short notice was met with great backlash as it hurt his chances of winning, Volkanovski says it’s the mentality that has made him the long-standing UFC champion he has been for several years now.

“If I wasn’t the guy who took their challenges and didn’t do it, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. I’d be just another guy here in Wollongong, maybe still playing rugby league, maybe at a lower level.”

“Looking back, it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, that was a stupid decision, but that’s who I am. People respect that. I think a lot of people can learn from that, too.'”

If Charles Oliveira had not withdrawn from his title fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 and Volkanovski had not continued to fight Ilia Topuria under better conditions, could Alexander “The Great” have prevailed then?

“That’s a difficult question,” Volkanovski replied. “I always knew the only way I could lose was to get caught. Maybe with Islam I can take you to deep waters and then maybe you can engage in close combat like us.” I did…

“Very soon I started fighting, maybe I couldn’t fight. That doesn’t mean (Topuria) couldn’t catch me. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t get knocked out, and I only got knocked out because of what happened in Islam, if I could have fought my fight and not avoided contact and paid attention to some things with myself I would be much more comfortable and happy.”

Despite back-to-back losses in title fights, Alexander Volkanovski’s next fight will likely be a rematch with Ilia Topuria, given his work for the UFC in recent years.

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