Alexander Volkanovski Feels That He Fought Ilia Topuria Way Too Soon After KO Loss To Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski is pound-for-pound one of the best fighters on the planet.

However, some of the best fighters in the world meet their match. For Volkanvovski, it's Islam Makhachev, who beat him in an unforgettable war at UFC 284 and in a short battle at UFC 294. However, it was their bout at UFC 294 that hit the hardest for the UFC Featherweight Champion.

Volkanovski had only been knocked out once before his rematch against Makhachev.

After his brutal knockout, it didn't take him long to return as he fought Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 less than five months later and he suffered another devastating knockout. Speaking on The Unscripted Show, Volkanovski feels that he took the Topuria fight way too soon.

"I go in too early and I get knocked out, I lose my belt," Volkanovski said, pointing out the difference between injuries in combat sports and in team sports. "That's the fact and that's what happened. I'm not taking anything away from Ilia. I'm just saying that that's what can happen. So I got a crazy shin to the noggin and obviously Ilia can hit hard, we've seen that, but I mean, I've never been just completely lights out like that. I was lights out for a couple of minutes.

"He got me in the cheek. But as soon there was one good connection: snoring."

Volkanovski getting knocked out for the second time in a roll had him take a look back on what he was doing wrong and he made the decision to take the proper amount of time off before getting back into the octagon again.

"So am I saying that wouldn't have happened if I didn't have the Islam [knockout loss]? I don't know," Volkanovski said. "Again, [Topuria's] very capable of knocking me out. Like I said, if I'm ever going to lose, it's someone catching me and he's a guy that can definitely do it. A lot of people were like, 'You were winning until you got caught.' Yeah, that was the case, but I still wasn't fighting my fight.

"I was worried about getting hit and I was freaking out in there and I remember sitting there, I was in two minds. Try not to get hit but then telling myself, 'You're alright. You'll come back to it. Relax.' If I was that worried, then why didn't I just shoot and be more defensive and just take him down and just hold him there, but then I would tell myself, 'You don't need to do that. You're alright.' ... It was a tricky one. It was a tough one for me.

Volkanovski was an emotional wreck after losing to Topuria. He used fighting as a coping mechanism following his loss to Makhachev, which absolutely didn't do him any favors.

"You've seen this footage of me sort of breaking down and not knowing what I'm -- If I'm like this now, how am I going to be after the sport's done?" Volkanovski said. "That's what I was worried about. Then I was like I need to keep busy. Told the UFC I want to fight. I end up fighting just after three months later with a bad concussion. Most people have six months, no head contact, and then start camp. I started training, when you're training you're starting head contact pretty quickly."

The 36-year-old continues discussing the impact Makhachev's knockout had on him and the instant side effects that came along with it.