Alexander Volkanovski is not phased by the short timeline he has to get ready for his rematch with Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title.
“I’m always training as we always say.” Volkanovski said on the MMA Hour on Tuesday.
The featherweight champion revealed he was sitting on the coach, holding his newborn daughter when he received news about the match up, 11-days out from fight day.
“I was at home…I was just in-between sessions….I just sort of laughed and went ‘alright, let’s do it’.”
Volkanovski is coming off elbow surgery which left him unable to spar or grapple for months, only being able to fully train again the week before UFC 293 last month.
“I think it was UFC Sydney, maybe it was the week before that or maybe that week, I was able to start training, as in start to grapple and wrestle…a couple of weeks after tat I was able to spar. I’ve been able to spar and wrestle for at least a good four, five weeks.”
Despite this inability to train, the Australian star says there is no excuse to not prepare for this match up, and his years of experience will more than make up for the short camp.
“I’m the guy who can take these opportunities because I can always do five rounds. All year round. I don’t care what anyone says, even if I don’t train for a year, I’ve been killing myself for the last 11 years. In the gym every single day. Even when I have time off now, you don’t miss a beat when you’ve been training like that…it’s not like I don’t now how to fight anymore.”
Volkanovski said the shorter camp has allowed him to come into the fight “fresh”, while his knowledge of Makhachev as an opponent is stiff fresh in his mind from the pairs first fight earlier this year.
“I believe I finish him. I think you’re going to see probably one of the most dangerous Volkanovski’s you’ve ever seen, purely because I can’t afford to do anything else…I can’t afford to show him any respect.”
The two face off in the main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi this Sunday morning.
