The long-reigning former UFC featherweight champion has suffered devastating knockout defeats in consecutive bouts, barely four months apart, and is adamant about rematching Ilia Topuria in Spain before 2024 ends to regain his crown as the 145lb king. Eugene Bareman’s health update speaks volumes, but will he listen at a stage of his career where he’s fighting time too?
Volkanovski says he’ll rest before Topuria rematch – will he?
IT’S one thing to say you’ll do something, another to actually go through with it. Alexander Volkanovski needs rest, relaxation and recovery over the coming months but will he be tempted into returning too soon given how much it means to him?
During a 10-minute piece-to-camera on YouTube interviewed by one of his team this week, the 35-year-old said plenty without saying much we didn’t already know.
Such is the tendency for active fighters to keep their cards close to the chest, especially when they’re convinced that fortunes will change and any insight can be used as a weapon against them in future with prospective opponents watching.
Mentally better than the first week fresh from losing his UFC title abruptly against a young gun, the Australian looks forward to spending more time with friends and family, doing leisurely activities and everyday tasks – like taking his daughters to football – not worrying about obsessively needing to train, a fight date in mind.
Yet already into his mid-30s, time doesn’t allow him much of an opportunity to rest on laurels or enjoy past glories, not while recency bias suggests he’s already declining and rather rapidly at that after his courageous decsion-making of late.
While it’s important to take time off and heal, both physically and psychologically after two big stoppage defeats in quick succession, how do you possibly decide?
During an interview with Combat TV, one of his assistant coaches Eugene Bareman spoke about the relative damage done against Ilia Topuria while comparing it to the short-notice loss in Abu Dhabi by reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Per mmajunkie, he remained optimistic about a return before year’s end:
“In terms of his symptoms, he doesn’t have any – which was not the case in the last knockout. There’s so many variables when it comes to having a knockout, how many symptoms you suffer and all that… I don’t know the science behind it and I’m not going to begin to try to understand.
He seems to not be as affected by this concussion as he was by the last one, I wouldn’t be able to tell you why, definitely needs rest and to be sensible, but will also be very keen to get that rematch this year.”
During his video uploaded overnight, the former champion said he was happy to wait on the sidelines in the meantime if Topuria wanted a quick turnaround.
That won’t be the case here.
Brian Ortega’s comeback win over Yair Rodriguez in their rematch last weekend opened up that avenue, though the two-time title challenger hasn’t earned another opportunity on merit after a second lengthy layoff and it makes more sense to set up a summer showdown with 18-0 unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev (#5).
Fewer champions are active these days, him and two-time middleweight titlist Israel Adesanya served as exceptions to the two-fight-a-year rule most subscribe to.
“Being champion, I felt like I had to be busy because I felt like that was a standard of a champion.
Not only that, I wanted to capitalise on the legacy, get as many defences so, needed to get back in there. How much longer are you going to be in your prime?
You need to make the most of this, get defences and money in… there’s always pressures of that so I felt like you would live life around a training schedule.”
- Volkanovski on his mindset as an active champion
UFC chief Dana White has confirmed the promotion’s plans to have Topuria make his first title defence in Spain later this year, at a venue TBC, and Volkanovski doubled down on a willingness for a European rematch. October-November is the reported timeline and it’ll be interesting to see how much the division moves by then.
Many will be invested in matters when Max Holloway (#2) goes up a weight class to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, while Volkanovski must learn from recent examples – former titleholders Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker chief among them – as far as rebuilding with outside noise at its highest. The rest of his career demands it.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes hyperlinked
Mo and Sports 