"How much of a break can he afford?" - Robert Whittaker explains why Alexander Volkanovski is in difficult position following consecutive KO losses

By Liam Fresen

Modified Mar 08, 2024 01:32 GMT

Robert Whittaker (left) explains why Alexander Volkanovski (right) may not be able to take too long of a break following KO loss [Images Courtesy: @GettyImages and @MMArcadepodcast on YouTube]

Alexander Volkanovski has suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in his career.

'The Great' was defeated by Islam Makhachev via knockout in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 294, with the lightweight champion landing a superb head kick before finishing the fight with ground-and-pound.

The Australian then moved back down to featherweight to defend the title he held since 2019 against surging contender Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. Volkanovski was once again knocked out, this time in more brutal fashion.

Questions surrounding his future have been raised by both fans and pundits. Given his incredible activity level and the fact that he has suffered two severe concussions in less than five months, many hope that 'The Great' will take a break from competition to rest.

Perennial middleweight contender Robert Whittaker has now shared his thoughts on his countryman's future and explained why he may not have the luxury of time. 'The Reaper' said this:

"He needs a break, his head needs a break, but how much of a break can he have? He is 35. He is pushing the last couple of years of his prime. How much of a break can he afford? I think he's in a tricky place, it's not hard, they're all good problems. But he's in a hard decision-making period right now."

Watch Robert Whittaker discuss Alexander Volkanovski's future below from 3:10:

Alexander Volkanovski previews Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera at UFC 299

Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera are set to face off in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 299 this weekend.

The pair first went to war at UFC 252, where 'Chito' secured a TKO victory over O'Malley in the second round. But the current bantamweight champion views the defeat as a "fluke", citing the peroneal nerve injury he sustained, which affected his movement drastically during the fight.

Alexander Volkanovski recently shared his preview for the pay-per-view main event. He noted that while people are aware that 'Sugar' is a skillful striker, many do not understand how good he is.

'The Great' said this:

"Sean's striking is high-level. I think it is pretty underrated, people know it's good but I don't think people understand how good it is." [9:40-9:52]

He continued: