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Alexander Volkanovski suffered his first defeat at featherweight when he faced off against Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298.
Entering the bout, there were concerns that 'The Great' was returning to action too soon after his knockout loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, less than four months before he clashed with Topuria.
The validity of those concerns was made apparent when 'El Matador' uncorked a trademark combination in Round 2 that knocked Volkanovski out cold.
However, the former champion dismissed the notion that his UFC 294 loss was related to his featherweight title defeat. However, the lightweight king does not appear to agree, as he stated that 'The Great' returned to action far too soon and placed the blame on the Australian's team.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, the Dagestani said this:
"Of course [Volkanovski returned too soon]. Alex is a good fighter, he is a warrior, everybody knows. He can fight everyday. But I always said that his team is very bad, because this mistake is not Alex's mistake. It is a mistake the team made. Because the team has to sit with him and tell him, 'Hey, it's too soon.'"
He continued:
"He had a very bad, tough knockout in his last fight. He has to rest for a minimum of three or four months without training, nothing. Do some recovery and just wait. He went back to fight too soon."
Watch Makhachev discuss Alexander Volkanovski's KO loss below from 12:20:
Alexander Volkanovski reflects on his loss to Ilia Topuria - "I just didn't fight my fight"
Ilia Topuria stunned the MMA world when he dethroned the long-reigning featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, in emphatic fashion at UFC 298.
'The Great' is one of the most dominant champions in divisional history, but came unstuck against the surging Spaniard, whose power proved to be the difference maker on fight night.
'El Matador' is known for his slick boxing skills, as well as his show-stopping power, and the Australian noted that his opponent's style impacted his gameplan in the octagon.
He said this:
"Did I feel like myself in there? No not really... There's a few things that could come into play with that, obviously Ilia's gameplan... I just didn't fight my fight, I felt like I was fighting to not get caught."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's video below from 0:50:
