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Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker can both relate to the cruel realities of losing UFC championship fights.
Volkanovski was finished in his bid to become a dual-division UFC champion last weekend. Islam Makhachev's head kick and then follow-up grounded punches saw him retain his UFC lightweight title and thwart the efforts of the UFC featherweight champion.
During the MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker gave his thoughts on his fellow Australian Alexander Volkanovski recently falling short in this 155-pound title bout.
Recapping the Abu Dhabi octagon offering on episode 24 of the podcast, Whittaker said:
"I told you his path to victory was going to be high output, aggressive attacking, but we couldn't see that because it was a 12 day Volk. He engaged in a little bit of wrestling and he slowed down from it. Like we never see that from him. We never see that from him."
"You take away one one of his greatest weapons against the lightweight champion of the world. You know Khabib's protege and you know the result is as it is. This game is a harsh mistress sometimes."
Check out the video of Whittaker discussing the UFC 294 headliner below
Alexander Volkanovski is unbeaten at featherweight
Volkanovski is yet to taste defeat in the division that he still helms over but does now have three mixed martial arts losses overall.
The first fight with Makhachev marked his first loss in the UFC and second overall defeat in the sport. This was a competitive affair, with Makhachev winning a unanimous decision, but yet many thought Alexander Volkanovski may have done enough to win during their UFC 284 clash in February.
Alexander Volkanovski's first ever pro-MMA loss was two weight classes above 145 pounds as he faltered in welterweight warfare. Corey Nelson also had 17 previous MMA fights overall, while Volkanovski had three before clashing with his oversized opponent at Australian FC 5 in May 2013.
'The Great' by all accounts, seems to want to return in January next year to defend his featherweight championship against Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 in what is a rumored bout.
