LONDON — Alexander Volkanovski has revealed why his first meeting with Islam Makhachev remains so special despite ending in defeat, after the pair produced a lightweight title classic at UFC 284 in 2023. Volkanovski challenged Makhachev for the belt and lost a decision in a bout that won Fight of the Year and is widely regarded as one of the best of all time for its technical mastery, with both men since crediting each other for bringing out their best.
Speaking with Kris Fade recently, Volkanovski echoed that respect and explained what set the contest apart. “I loved that first fight so much because of — like, it’s weird, because I’m saying I love it as if it was easy. No, it wasn’t easy. What I loved about it was, no one had ever taken me that far when it comes to techniques,” he said. He noted takedown defence is his strength and he is hard to hold down, with “a lot of my own cool little tricks” he rarely needs to use in full. “A lot of times I don’t ever get to use all of them. So I might have an answer — someone does something great, and I’ll have an answer; we might only go two or three layers deep, but he took me three, four layers deep. He’d have a counter to this, then I would go there, and he would go there,” he said.
Volkanovski described the bout as a rare showcase of fundamentals and fight IQ that will reward future study. “If they really start studying some of that stuff, they can see some magic techniques in there, and fundamentals. The understanding of the game that we both had is something that it’s going to be hard to get two athletes with that type of knowledge putting it all on the line like we did,” he said. “So I think that’s why we both really appreciated what we got out of each other. And again, I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”
The pair rematched at short notice at UFC 294 in October 2023, where Makhachev won by first-round knockout, but Volkanovski holds no grudge and says they are planning an extended trip together to Dagestan. “We are [going to Dagestan],” Volkanovski said. “It won’t be two or three years. I was like, ‘Maybe a few days,’ and he said, ‘That’s not long enough. Two-three weeks. Let’s go two-three weeks.’ So we’ll definitely do that.” He said they will train, cook and try horseback hunting together, adding: “We’ve done some cooking together. I love all that stuff. I love the content that we can get, and that’s just next level. So I can’t wait to go and do that with him.”