UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski Reveals Unhealthy Habits Before Makhachev Loss

“I was drinking every day for like three, four weeks."

Alexander Volkanovski admits that he wasn’t operating at his absolute best when he accepted a short-notice rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

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“The Great” is preparing to defend his featherweight belt for a sixth time when he meets Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, but two out of his last three bouts saw the Australian move up to lightweight to try and achieve double-champ status against Makhachev.

Volkanovski stepped up for his second meeting with the lightweight king on just 11 days' notice, and in a recent interview with Israel Adesanya’s brother David Adesanya the 35-year-old detailed how that knockout loss helped him kick some bad habits.

Volkanovski was knocked out in the first round of his rematch with Makhachev :: (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)

“It was like a little kick up the arse for me,” Volkvanovski admitted. “I wasn’t disciplined. I’m known for being disciplined, professional, all year round, 24/7. And I just wasn’t that time. So I was really disappointed. I was more upset with who I was them previous months leading into that. And to be honest, it made it a little bit easier because it snapped me out of it.”

UFC 294 was supposed to be headlined by a rematch between Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, but when “Do Bronx” suffered a nasty cut less than two weeks out from the fight Volkanovski stepped up to try and avenge his decision loss from UFC 284.

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“The Great” made sure to note that he wasn’t drinking to excess during his recovery from hand surgery after UFC 290, but he wasn’t exactly in fight shape when he got the call to meet Makhachev in Abu Dhabi.

Volkanovski is considered by many fans to be the greatest featherweight in UFC history.  :: (Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today Sports)

“I was drinking every day for like three, four weeks…That’s unheard of for me, like every day. I’ve never, ever done that. But I was just like ‘Go ahead’ – I wasn’t training too much. Obviously surgery, and just trying to help around the house… Even then, I was like ‘Man, this has gotta stop.’ I ended up saying that honestly the day before I got the call [to fight Makhachev].”

Even though the rematch with Makhachev ended in disappointment, Volkanovski is still unbeaten as a featherweight and sits at #3 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.

The Australian will have a massive challenge in front of him when he meets the unbeaten Topuria in the main event of UFC 298, and “El Matador” has already made headlines for the ambitious plans he has for his featherweight title reign. 

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