An unfortunate moment for the Aussie and the fans. However, Alexander Volkanovski fought a tough fight in a decision loss and came closer to victory than any other fighter had in the past. The Aussie is in good spirits and is ready to take on the newly crowned interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez.
Round 1 started off with both fighters feeling each other out and Volkanovski managing to put Makhachev on the back foot. Midway through the round, flurries of strikes were thrown by each side, and the Russian secured a takedown and held back control for the rest of the round.
An exciting start to round 2, where both sides were throwing flurries of strikes, and Volkanovski landed a big right hand off the break. Makhachev scored a takedown, and Volkanovski got up and retaliated with a barrage of punches. The Russian landed a big left hand, and both exchanged strikes in the clinch.
A big right hand by Volkanovski to start off the third round, then shortly after, Makhachev retaliates with a body kick. The Russian took down the Aussie on the fence, but Volkanovski got up once again, and then retaliated with a flurry of strikes, knocking Makhachev down and exchanged punches as he got up.
Volkanovski started the fourth round off by putting Makhachev on the back foot. The Russian landed a big left hand. Midway through the round, Makhachev secured a double-leg takedown in the centre of the Octagon. Volkanovski managed to get himself to the fence and defended Makhachev’s attempts for a Rear Naked Choke for the rest of the round.
The final round started off with a big left hand by Makhachev, then landed some big knees from the clinch. In an attempt to secure a finish, Makhachev took Volkanovski down and got back up almost immediately. In the final minutes, Makhachev fell down and the Aussie got on top and landed some ground and pound to the end of the round.
Even though Volkanovski lost the fight, he still shocked the world that he could almost beat Islam Makhachev, the UFC lightweight champion.
Volkanovski currently holds a professional record of 25 wins and 2 losses.
