Alexander Volkanovski isn’t known for his trash talk, but the reigning UFC featherweight champion has no problem playing mind games when the time is right.
A perfect example came at UFC 284, when Volkanovski engaged in a close, back-and-forth battle with lightweight king Islam Makhachev that ended in a unanimous decision loss. Although he was the heavy underdog in the fight, Volkanovski did everything possible to give Makhachev all he had — even several battles on the ground that were supposed to make the Russian the most dominant.
That was when Volkanovski began to mock him, particularly after being told repeatedly that Makhachev would most likely make him fall with his grappling.
“It’s getting in his head,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 284 post-fight press conference. “Even when he had me, I’m going, ‘You’re not that strong.’ I was saying stuff like that, and he was going, ‘You’re just hanging on,’ and I would go, ‘You said 15 seconds, you’re going to drag me to deep waters.’ That type of stuff, I remember that stuff as I go he was hanging on for dear life. It’s just [like that]..
“I’m not being rude, but he’s still at a good place, so I have to get out. But, I am going to punch him in the head .”
While Makhachev managed to score several takedowns before eventually advancing his position to take the back on a couple different occasions, Volkanovski never felt truly threatened, which is why he decided to let the lightweight champion hear it.
” I think a bodylock is a dominant position so the ref just kinda leaves him there. Volkanovski stated. “[I was] I was just trying to let him know. Just like [telling him], ‘You’re trying to survive’ in certain position, that’s all I was saying.”
Despite being the shorter fighter in the matchup and knowing how size and power could play an important role for his opponent, Volkanovski was surprised at how little of that factored into their final result.
Volkanovski expected Makhachev would impose more of his will.
“There was positions where I was like he’s not strong,” Volkanovski said. “I even said it in my corner, you’ll probably hear it, I’m going he’s not strong. He’s not strong. I am not disrespectful. Maybe he’s waiting for me to do something so I didn’t capitalize on it straight away, which I should have and I really started realizing that later on. It was like f ***,. I could have done so much more.
“It’s just funny. Everybody wanted to promote this bizarre narrative. I’m going ****** to run with it. Let you think he’s invincible but it just would have been so much of a better story if I won, right?”
As much as Volkanovski wanted to get in Makhachev’s head during those exchanges, he wasted no time afterward offering congratulations on a job well done.
” We’re both respectful men,” he stated. “I’m a respectful dude. “I went to him and congratulated.
“They thought that I would be easy to walk around in the park. Shocked faces but again, I expected them to be shocked. His face was the same as mine. I just wish I got my hand raised.”
When it comes time to make the final decision, Volkanovski will not offer excuses nor challenge the scores given by the judges. He still needs to watch the fight to really see everything that happened, but he said he’ll likely find plenty of flaws with his performance.
“I’m my hardest critic, I always am,” Volkanovski said. “I blow ****** like I win huge fights, and that one time I didn’t get anything I wanted is all I remember.” I remember that one time I didn’t get something. That’s just how I am. I’m very, very harsh on myself and hard on myself.”
With Yair Rodriguez being crowned interim featherweight champion at UFC 284, Volkanovski already has his next assignment. He isn’t giving up his goal to win another title.
” You could clearly see that I could win that fight,” Volkanovski stated. “I definitely want that fight back. That f ****** lightweight Belt .”
be made.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/12/23596283/alexander-volkanovski-reveals-what-he-said-during-mid-fight-trash-talk-to-islam-makhachev-at-ufc-284?rand=96749
