Alexander Volkanovski Narrates His Scary Concussion Truth Despite Overcoming Islam Makhachev Downfall

“Adversity is privilege.” This quote by Alexander Volkanovski became iconic after he reclaimed the featherweight belt at UFC 314. It’s never easy for a fighter to bounce back from a brutal knockout, but the Aussie managed to overcome two of them before defeating Diego Lopes in Miami this year. Still, even after a stellar comeback, ‘The Great’ admits he’s haunted by what went down in Abu Dhabi two years ago.

When Charles Oliveira pulled out of UFC 294, Volkanovski stepped in against Islam Makhachev on just 11 days’ notice. Their first clash at UFC 284 in Australia had been a razor-close technical battle. So many expected another classic. Instead, the former 155lbs king landed a perfectly timed head kick in front of a roaring Abu Dhabi crowd. That strike left the 145-pound king with a serious concussion, one he has now opened up about in detail. 

Alexander Volkanovski Shares the Traumatic Aftermath of Islam Makhachev’s Headkick

At the Unscripted show podcast, Volkanovski said, “It was hard to get my timing and let my hands go….So, which makes sense. No sparring. Now I look at it like…..oh yeah, 11 days’ notice. That makes sense. But at the time, I told myself and actually believed I’d be more dangerous because of that. But, that wasn’t the case. I knew the kicks were coming. I remember when he started going to the body, I was like, “A head kick is coming.” I knew he was going to change levels. I was right there, but then it was just over. 

Islam’s head kick was perfectly timed, sneaking past Volkanovski’s guard and rocking him instantly. In the end, the featherweight champion then ate a few follow-up shots, leaving him bloodied as he struggled to keep his composure. But the damage didn’t stop there. ‘Volk’ later revealed just how devastating the aftermath really was! According to him, the strike left him dealing with what he described as a form of brain trauma. 

He added, “You see me straight after the fight…I (had a) concussion as well….It would’ve been the kick, a shin straight to the dome like that. That’s proper contact to the brain…Direct brain trauma. It sounds terrible when I put it like that. Like when you hit the chin and it rattles. This was bang…direct contact. I remember hearing a whoosh, and everything’s just going all over the place.”   

Volkanovski’s short-notice fight against Makhachev turned out to be one of the toughest decisions of his career. Or at least, his own account points in that direction. But that wasn’t the end of his concussion story. After the crushing setback against the Dagestani, Ilia Topuria handed him another brutal defeat. 

‘The Great’ Opens Up on Ilia Topuria’s Brutal UFC 298 Knockout

After suffering the grueling head-kick knockout against Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski pleaded with the UFC to keep him busy. The promotion granted his wish, matching him up with Ilia Topuria—already known as one of the most vicious strikers in the featherweight division. As many feared, ‘The Great’ hadn’t fully recovered from his previous knockout, and it showed at UFC 298. That night, ‘El Matador’ flattened him in the second round and hoisted the featherweight belt. 

Reflecting on that brutal KO, the 145 lbs kingpin said, “If yo were to get injured, say you end up getting rocked again because you see people end up getting rocked and they’re a lot easier rocked. You’re gonna have to go out, and the rest of your team will play for you. I go in too early and I get knocked out, I lose my belt. That’s the fact, and that’s what happened.” 

It might seem like Volkanovski was shifting the blame to his decision to come back just three months after the Makhachev knockout without proper recovery. But he made it clear that Topuria’s power was no joke. The Georgian-Spaniard caught him clean and put him out cold for a couple of minutes. Volkanovski admitted, “Obviously, Ilia can hit hard—we’ve all seen that. But I’ve never been completely lights out like that. This time, I was out for a couple of minutes.”

That just shows how tough the fight game can be at times! It’s truly remarkable and commendable that Volkanovski has endured two massive knockouts like that and still managed to come back stronger. Now, after his win over Diego Lopes at UFC 314, the big question is: how many fights does the Aussie have left in the tank before calling it a career? Let us know what you think in the comments below!