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Volk regret: Aussie UFC star admits Topuria fight was a “silly” decision
Connor Scanlon • July 11th, 2025 9:00 pm
Australian UFC star and current Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski has opened up on his short turnaround between knockout losses, admitting he regrets taking the Ilia Topuria fight just four months after being knocked out by Islam Makhachev.
Volkanovski joined MMA legend Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel MIGHTY, where he reflected on the brutal run that saw him lose twice in quick succession by KO, and revealed that he was still battling serious concussion symptoms during his camp for Topuria.
Demetrious Johnson questioned how the Topuria fight might’ve played out if Volkanovski had taken a longer break after the head-kick knockout to Makhachev, referencing how much better Volkanovski looked after taking over a year off in preparation for his recent win over Diego Lopes.
“I’m always gonna look at it (as) I didn’t fight my fight,” Volkanovski admitted.
“I didn’t fight how I would like, I kept second guessing myself in there.
“And you’re right, I probably should’ve done what I did after that fight (against Topuria).
“I had my break after that fight, and it was great, but whether I did that earlier maybe (the result) would’ve been different.
“We don’t know.”
The featherweight great then revealed that he entered the Topuria fight without properly recovering from his knockout loss to Makhachev, admitting he suffered a severe concussion and was still dealing with symptoms well into camp.
“I had a decent concussion,” revealed Volkanovski.
“I feel like I had more of a concussion from the Islam (knockout), even though I was knocked out longer with Ilia.
“I had a lot more of the symptoms with the Islam one.
“So, I probably should’ve had more of a break.”
Volkanovski detailed his team warned him not to take the Topuria fight so quickly, but he refused to listen to their advice.
“With the quick turnaround against Ilia, no one could’ve told me any different,” said Volk.
“Everyone was like, ‘What are you doing? You should be having a big break, it’s gonna affect your confidence.’
“And I’m like bulls---, nup, I ain’t having (that advice).”
When Johnson asked how Volkanovski was even able to train while following the UFC concussion protocols, requiring 90 days of no contact, Volkanovski admitted the timeline didn’t align well with the demands of a full training camp.
“I didn’t have head contact,” Volk revealed.
“When you’re easing into it you’re making sure you’re not getting hit, trying to put yourself in safer positions.
“You even start camp wrong, I should’ve had the break.
“When you’ve got the concussions and all that, you can’t even bring your heart rate up.
“So, did that process, but half of that process was at the start of my camp. It was silly.
“So, yeah it was silly, but no one could’ve told me different.”
Despite the circumstances, Volkanovski gave full credit to Topuria for his performance on the night, saying the Spaniard’s power and fight IQ caught him off guard – especially with the adjustment he made in Round 2 to land the knockout shot.
“And that’s not taking anything away from Ilia, he is good. Ilia’s power, and what he did was great,” exclaimed Volkanovski.
“He even made the right adjustments, that I didn’t expect.
“If you’re in front of him, he can do a 20 (punch) combo, and they’re all powerful.
“The way I was fighting, I kept doing the same thing, and then he did the adjustment.
“So, credit to him.”
With Alex Volkanovksi now admitting that fighting Ilia Topuria just four months after being knocked out by Islam Makhachev was a mistake, the question begs – would a longer break have made a difference to the fight? Or would the pound-for-pound No. 1 still have knocked the Aussie out cold?
