MMA Knockout

VIDEO: Israel Adesanya's Heartbreaking Reaction To Alex Volkanovski's UFC 294 Loss

The former UFC middleweight champion reacted to Alexander Volkanovski's head-kick KO loss to Islam Makhachev.

Zain Bando

VIDEO: Israel Adesanya's Heartbreaking Reaction To Alex Volkanovski's UFC 294 Loss
VIDEO: Israel Adesanya's Heartbreaking Reaction To Alex Volkanovski's UFC 294 Loss /

Like many fans this weekend, Israel Adesanya was glued to his television screen to watch the highly-anticipated rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski for the lightweight strap.

As such, Adesanya was rooting heavily for his City Kickboxing teammate, which was documented in a reaction video posted to YouTube and across social media. Adesanya has made a name for himself online, generating over a million subscribers on his channel and nearly 300,000 views on his recent video in fewer than 12 hours.

Adesanya's genuine excitement can be seen during the video's build-up before reaching the climax of Volkanovski's walkout to the Octagon. Then, nerves began to set in for the former UFC middleweight champion.

VIDEO: Islam Makhachev Finishes Alex Volkanovski With Sensational Head Kick At UFC 294

"I'm gonna lose my s**t, bro," Adesanya said.

As Volkanovski got caught with the coveted head kick seen all across the internet by now, dead silence could be heard from the entire room as Adesanya's hands went behind his back.

"F***, it was a left kick from southpaw [stance]," Adesanya said after processing the moment. "Boy went over the head and just clipped him. I think [he] caught him with it in the first fight, maybe? Yeah, in the first fight, yeah. Still the best, bro. I love this dude."

For Volkanovski, he'll look to return to the drawing board while taking time off. He is averaging three fights per year in the UFC, making him one of the most active fighters the promotion has.

Despite the loss, Volkanovski remains the UFC featherweight champion as he moved up in weight on 11 days' notice, replacing former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

Barring any significant injuries, Volkanovski intends to defend his featherweight title against Illia Topuria in January at UFC 297.

As for Adesanya, he plans to take an extended layoff before attempting to regain the middleweight strap.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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