Alexander Volkanovski is going to listen to his body.
And those around him.
The former UFC featherweight champion is following in the footsteps of Israel Adesanya and others in taking time off after his latest loss. Just a few short weeks ago, he was finished by Ilia Topuria for the belt, his second knockout loss.
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Late last year, Volkanovski was finished at the hands of Islam Makhachev. After winning 25 of his first 26 pro fights, he has lost three of four.
“Being champion, I felt like I had to be busy,” Volkanovski said (thanks to MMA Junkie for the quotes). “I felt like that was a standard of a champion. Not only that, I wanted to capitalize on the legacy.
“I wanted to get as many defenses so I needed to get back in there.”
Volkanovski’s words echoed those of Adesanya, the former middleweight champion who has not returned since a September loss to Sean Strickland. That marked the fifth fight since February 2022 for Adesanya.
Much the same way, Volkanovski has fought six times since April 2022.
Alexander Volkanovski To Wait For Right Time
Volkanovski believes he has done enough to warrant an immediate rematch when he does return.
His resume includes wins over Yair Rodriguez, Max Holloway, Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega. Two of those three recent defeats came while competing against Makhachev at lightweight.
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“You need to make the most of this, get the defenses, get that money,” he said. “There’s always pressures of that so I felt like you would live life around a training schedule.
“Right now, a break is obviously good for the head. It makes sense. I know I ain’t fighting until the rematch, which isn’t going to be until later this year anyway.”
