UFC 296: Alex Volkanovski reveals mental health challenges in frank interview after loss to Makhachev

A devastated Alex Volkanovski choked back tears as he gave a brutally honest interview in the wake of his shocking first-round knock-out to rival Islam Makhachev.

Brendan Bradford

@1bbradfo

3 min read

October 22, 2023 - 10:11AM

Volkanovski was handed a brutal first-round defeat from fierce rival Islam Makhachev. Picture: AFP

A shattered Alex Volkanovski choked back tears after his lightweight world title loss to Islam Makhachev as he revealed some mental health struggles he has faced over the past few months.

After taking the fight on 11 days’ notice, Volkanovski was knocked out in the first round when Makhachev landed a perfect left high kick to the top of his head.

The Aussie was devastated in the cage immediately after the loss, and gave an emotional press conference just an hour later.

The normally upbeat and easygoing Volkanovski stressed he wasn’t making excuses for the defeat as he spoke about his challenges.

“It really is hard for athletes and I never thought I’d struggle with it, but for some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp…f**k, sorry, I was just doing my head in,” he said as his voice cracked and he took a moment before continuing.

“When this opportunity came up, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t training as much as I should have, but I thought I had to do it. I had to take it.

“I was telling myself it was meant to be. I was struggling a little bit, not fighting. Just doing my head in. And I don’t know how, because everything’s fine, I have a beautiful family.

“I need to keep busy, I need to be in camp otherwise I do my head in. I’ll leave it at that.”

Volkanovski’s wife Emma and their daughters Ariana, 8, Airlie, 6, and baby Reign, 7 weeks old. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Since his win over Yair Rodriguez in July, Volkanovski had surgery on his elbow and celebrated the birth of his third daughter, while looking ahead to another featherweight title defence in January.

He said the time away from serious training took its toll.

“It’s weird. I’ve never got it,” he said. “Maybe the more I learned about it, the more I understand. I don’t know.

“I talked about having a smile on my face (after accepting the fight), me and my wife. My wife can see that it does get hard.

“I don’t know why.

“There was so much going on. There was surgery and the baby and I just needed to get into camp.

“I know it’s a very common thing, but it’s something I’ve never understood, and I’ve never dealt with anything like that to be honest.”

Volkanovski was handed a brutal first-round defeat from fierce rival Islam Makhachev. Picture: AFP

Since losing a close decision to Makhachev in February, Volkanovski had been vocal about wanting a rematch, but admitted taking it on such short notice might have been a mistake.

“I don’t want to sit here and make excuses, but I’m a big believer in preparation,” he said. “I back myself, and that’s the decision I made.

“I could’ve made better decisions, but again, he’s not someone you should take a fight on short notice with.

“Maybe it was a silly decision under the circumstances.”

Volkanovski asked for the UFC to keep him busy, and hinted that his scheduled featherweight title defence against Ilia Topuria at UFC 296 in January was still on the cards.

Makhachev (L) was simply too much for Volkanovski on short preparation. Picture: Getty

UFC president Dana White was also open to the fight.

“He got head kick kayoed tonight, so let him see the doctor, make sure he’s OK and give him some time to recover,” White said. “He’ll have some stitches on his eye, but if he’s feeling good, he’s ready to turn around.”

Volkanovski admitted he was caught by a perfectly set up high kick, and said he would have been sharper with more preparation time.

“It’s always going to sound like excuses,” he said. “You want to get your eye in. You want to feel and see all those shots coming in during camp.