‘Lay Off the Alcohol’: Learning From Loss Against Ilia Topuria, Alexander Volkanovski Shares His Preparation for UFC 314

Potentially facing his career swansong at UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski plans some wholesale changes to his fight camp ahead of his Miami return.

Set to headline the promotion’s return to ‘The Sunshine State’, through some good fortune, Volkanovski has found himself smack bang in the middle of a vacant title fight. Despite riding a two-fight losing skid into his April return, the Australian will look to win the featherweight title for the first time since losing it to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 last year.

Volk had originally been promised a rematch with Ilia, but with the Spaniard vacating the title to pursue loftier goals at 155 lbs, the UFC have brought Diego Lopes into the mix to hopefully jumpstart the next generation of 145ers. But not if Volkanovski has his way.

Ahead of next month’s return, the former champion has vowed to turn in a disciplined training camp in Oceania, with plans to usher in a period of accountability again.

First on the list of changes, ‘The Great’ plans to cut down on his alcohol consumption. And in tandem, focus on his nutrition.

“Everybody knows I train hard, I bust my as* off,” Volkanovski told UFC. “...But, I mean, I probably could’ve done some things better. You know, my nutrition. Maybe, you know — lay off the alcohol. Stay away from the alcohol.”, the former champion added.

Looking back at the Topuria loss from UFC 298, Volk admits that he could have done better with his nutrition. So this time around, he is not having any cheat meals. Not even one, which is a huge sacrifice for the Aussie since it’s common knowledge that he really loves them.

“Because I wanna bring that weight down. I wanna be moving fast, I wanna feel sharp, you know? I wanna feel like me.“, he said.

This title fight could also determine how much longer Volkanovski will continue his fighting career.

Volk contemplates retirement

There was a time (2016-2022) when Volkanovski was on a 12-fight win streak and had never been defeated in the UFC. Then, he lost three out of his next four fights. Two of them were debilitating KO losses against world champions at both lightweight and featherweight.

And then, in a span of under two years, he had gone from wanting to be a two-division champion to becoming a relic of the past who was getting bested by faster, stronger, and younger fighters. So it is not exactly a surprise that at some point during this time the thought of calling it a day had crossed his mind.

“I’m expecting to maybe have a couple more, a few more”, Volk told Ariel Helwani earlier this year. Right now, his plans involve winning the title and then defending it in 3-4 months’ time against Movsar Evloev.

“I want to have one last crack, and get really stuck into it. Win that belt, defend it, maybe defend it again, or one big fight after a defense, we’ll see. Then, maybe I’m done. That’s where we’re at.“, he had elaborated.

However, if he fails again at UFC 314 next month, there’s just not a lot for Volk to do in the division. He most likely won’t be able to go on another title run at 36 years of age. Besides, at the stage of the career he’s in, it doesn’t seem like he would be interested in fighting for anything other than UFC gold.

So buckle up, get your tissues and your popcorn ready for UFC 314. Because either way, it will be a night to remember.