The main event of UFC 298 didn’t go as planned for Alexander Volkanovski. The fighter entered the ring with Ilia Topuria aiming to extend his title defense to seven. However, instead, the fighter found himself on the receiving end of a right hand, which ended his time as the featherweight champion. Known for his excellent feints, Volkanovski is considered one of the best strikers in the promotion.
But this time, the fighter couldn’t repeat the magic of his previous encounters. A champion since 2019, Volkanovski became the featherweight king back in December 2019, dethroning Max Holloway at UFC 245. He followed this triumph with five straight successful defences against the likes of Holloway, Jung Chan-sung, and Brian Ortega. So what went wrong for the former champion this time? Looks like we might have an insight.
Alexander Volkanovski Reveals Reason for UFC 298 Loss
Following his loss at UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski revealed the reason for his recent defeat. According to the Kiwi, Topuria was landing some big shots at him. But it was a clean right hand on his chin that sealed the deal. In his own words: “I mean, that was a clean right hand. Uh, you know, and I think, no matter who you are, like, you let one of those land on your chin while you’re caught there, you’re probably going down.”
Volkanovski shared these thoughts during his post-fight press conference at UFC 298, something which he did despite suffering a devastating knockout. For anybody unaware, this is neither expected nor typical of a fighter to do. But regardless, the former champ didn’t shy away from facing the questions. Further, ‘Volk’ also cleared the air around his loss, which, according to many, may be due to the loss he recently faced in his rematch with Islam Makhachev.
But Volkanovski refuted this claim, giving due credit to the newly crowned champion. Acknowledging the young champ’s talent, he said: “Don’t let him catch you. That, that’s, that’s what that was, you know what I mean? So he caught me. So I won’t take nothing away from him, you know what I mean? I’m not going to sit there and say was this or was that.”
‘Old Man’ Persona Still Not Dead
Despite entering the fight as an undefeated featherweight, Volkanovski has had to face his share of doubts. According to many, the Kiwi was ‘too old’ to pull off a victory, especially against a young and hungry prospect like Topuria. However, instead of refuting these claims, the fighter took a sarcastic approach and adopted an old man persona.
Something which he stuck to during the promotions, and it seems the fans were in love with this. Now, however, when all of this is said and done, many were speculating that the gimmick might be dead. But in the press conference of UFC 298, Volkanovski clarified that the persona might still be there. And if the fighter is to be believed, the fans may soon catch a glimpse of it during a possible rematch in Spain.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
