Alexander Volkanovski is preparing for a bout against Diego Lopes for the vacant UFC featherweight title, which will take place in Miami at UFC 314.
The once-unstoppable champ has been on a skid and took one of the longest breaks of his career, admitting he wasn’t sure if he was going to come back.
“You are going to ask yourself like, ‘All right, this is unfamiliar territory, an unfamiliar feeling. Have you lost it? What’s going on? You must not want it anymore. I was like, ‘No, not really. I remember that I have accepted that I’m having the break, but have you accepted that you’re done? ‘No, I haven’t. I’ll be back. I’ll flip the switch, but will you flip the switch?’ You know, you ask yourself these questions, but I always answer, ‘Relax, when the time comes, you will flip the switch. Don’t worry.’ But I guess you won’t know until you decide to do that,” Volkanovski told ESPN.
However, he said it was all gas and no brakes once he hit the gym.
“There were questions: Am I going to be able to flip the switch? Am I going to be the same guy once I flip that switch?” Volkanovski explained. “We found out early because we started camp nice and early that we would. We’re kicking ass in the gym right now. The weight is ahead of schedule, and we’ve still got plenty of time.”
Fans Respond To Volkanovski’s Claim About Who Can Beat Him
Volkanovski has gone 1-3 in his last four fights, but the former UFC champ said the losses haven’t changed his mentality.
“We’ve got to remember, I don’t believe anyone can beat me. The only person that I can see giving me a tough fight for five rounds is Islam Makhachev which, you know, in the first one as you’ve seen. Everyone else has just got a puncher’s chance, that’s just how I always look at it and I truly believe that. That’s the confidence I have in myself, no one can beat me, they can catch me.”
🗣️Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t believe anyone can beat him:
“I don’t believe anyone can beat me. The only person I can see giving me a tough fight for 5 rounds is Islam. Everyone else has just got a punchers chance.”
(via @MainEventTV) pic.twitter.com/jhZiOzYtxG
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) March 26, 2025
That quote set Volkanovski’s haters on fire and they responded on social media.
“Bro is stuck in the past,” one user said and another labelled the former champion as “deluded”.
“This Guy is a loser. I hope he is knocked out by Lopes so that he learns his lesson,” added another.
