Most fans would happily agree that the famed UFC featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, is one of the most respected champions in the UFC. ‘Volk’ earned appreciation even from the UFC lightweight king, Islam Makhachev, when he moved up a weight class to challenge him. But does Volkanovski boast a Khabib Nurmagomedov-like undefeated record, which earns him the respect of fans?
UFC Fighters can earn the respect of fans due to a plethora of reasons. Noted UFC faces like Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone have been respected by fans despite having multiple losses in their resume.
Hence, it’s not always necessary to maintain an undefeated record like ‘The Eagle’ to receive respect. Volkanovski also stands as an example of this fact.
The Australian has faced defeat only thrice in his 29 pro-MMA fight career to date. Here’s a look at all of those losses, despite which MMA fans continue to hail him.
Alexander Volkanovski’s first loss against Cory Nelson
It won’t be wrong to say that ‘Volk’ was a lot more immature as a fighter when he picked up his first loss against Corey ‘Major’ Nelson. The debacle happened on 10 May 2013 while he was fighting in the Australian Fighting Championship semifinals. His rival, Nelson, boasted a significant height and reach advantage over him. He unleashed a volley of head kicks on ‘The Great’ making him wobbly.
But, it was a fierce right uppercut from ‘Volk’s’ rival that had him going down to the canvas. Nelson rushed in after watching the compromised ‘Volk’ and ended the fight with ground and pound just within a few more seconds.
It is quite apparent that Volkanovski took numerous lessons from his first loss. After this, he went on an undefeated streak for ten years, during which he got inducted into the UFC as well.
Alexander Volkanovski’s second loss against Islam Makhachev
Volkanovski steamrolled all of his UFC rivals after his induction and became the UFC featherweight champion as well. However, the challenge-lover in ‘The Great’ got him moving up to lightweight in pursuit of the coveted champ-champ status. He faced the UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev for the first time at UFC 284 on 11 February 2023 in a fight that was later crowned ‘Fight of the Year’ by multiple noted organizations.
After a pretty evenly matched five rounds, the judges’ scorecard revealed that ‘Volk’ had lost the fight via split decision. A storm of controversies may have engulfed the UFC community after ‘The Great’s’ second loss. But it doesn’t change the fact that Volkanovski picked up his second loss at UFC 284.
Alexander Volkanovski’s third loss against Islam Makhachev
The UFC lightweight king, Islam Makhachev, ultimately proved to be unconquerable for ‘Volk’. He tasted defeat yet another time in their rematch at UFC 294. Despite not being scheduled to fight on that night, the Australian put out a display of an ideal fighter’s attitude. He accepted the fight on an 11-day notice after Makhachev’s scheduled rival, Charles ‘Dubronx’ Oliveira, was forced to step down due to an injury.
But, most fans may agree that Volk’s UFC 294 performance showcased the lack of training and strategy. Still, he was putting up a fight. But at the exact 3-min mark of the first round, one of Makhachev’s head kicks got through Volkanovski’s defense, driving him to the canvas. It took Makhachev just six more seconds to end the fight with some ground and pound.
Despite his losses at lightweight, ‘The Great’ still holds an undefeated record as a UFC featherweight. Most fans may already know that he will be facing Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on February 17 for this fourth UFC featherweight title defense fight.
Several fans are saying that ‘El Matador’ has enough to take away the undefeated streak that ‘Volk’ boasts as a UFC featherweight. However, only time has the answer to whether coming Saturday will subject Volkanovski to his fourth loss or not.
