Alexander Volkanovski lost his last and biggest fight.
That sentence is both true and false.
It’s true that he didn’t get his hand raised after the judges’ scorecards were read out. But in every other sense, he walked out of the cage a winner.
His entrance into the arena prior to the fight felt like a superstar entering the cage. He went toe to toe with the bigger man. In a lot of ways, it felt like the Canelo versus Amir Khan fight, in the sense that it was a great bigger man against a great smaller man. Khan, of course, was nowhere near the level of Volkanovski but this example is just illustrative. In these fights, it constantly feels like the smaller man is walking a tightrope, one slip and they’re done. Khan fell off. Volkanovski never came close.
He fought Makhachev’s fight for periods of time, holding his own in the clinch and showing exceptional takedown defence. He finished the fight in the ascendancy and looking like he wouldn’t blow out a candle after it was all done. Another ten seconds and Volk wins. At the end of the fight, Islam was clinging on for dear life. Volk was surging.
WATCH: Alex Volkanovski’s incredibly classy gesture for Islam Makhachev after UFC defeat
The toughest man in the world’s toughest sport proved his toughness yet again. At this point, it’s fair to wonder if Alex Volkanovski is diamond-plated.
This fight will be a key thread in the tapestry of Alexander Volkanovski’s career; his first loss in a decade. Yet Volk actually won again. The UFC agrees with that assertion and have retained Volkanovski as their official number 1 pound for pound fighter, thankfully remembering what pound for pound actually means.
Since the Makhachev fight, I have gone back and rewatched some of Volkanovski’s recent title defences. What is striking and everpresent, and what I finally noticed during the Makhachev fight, is that it never appears to occur to Volkanovski that he could lose. He is extraordinarily calm and confident even in deep water.
That was obvious during the Brian Ortega fight, when Volk was put into extraordinarily dangerous positions time and time again. In the third round, Ortega set up shop at or around Volkanovski’s neck. But Volk never panicked and looked as if he would sooner have his head torn off than tap. And then, once he was out of the clutches of the man who was trying to crack his windpipe, Volk wasn’t tired. He actually turned up the pace. Twice.
Normal rules of cardiovascular fitness do not apply to this man.
It was the same with Makhachev, there was no panic, no fear, no thought of losing. Indeed, at the end of the first round, as the world watched on, Volk stuck his tongue out and put up a shaka sign.
He was having fun.
In the biggest and surely most important moment of his career, Volk was just enjoying himself. It was almost absurd to see how much fun he was having in the cage at such an historic moment.
I have emphasised time and again that Volkanovski never appears to view losing as a genuine possibility, but he did lose this weekend according to the judges. Regardless, it was an extremely close fight, far closer than most thought it would be, and it was certainly not a robbery.
Notice how Volkanovski has carried himself post-fight. He did not whine or complain about the decision in the immediate aftermath. He even pleaded with the crowd to respect the champion.
He believes that he won and has said as much, while always being sure to remain respectful to his opponent and to the decision. He has reiterated that, more than anything else, he just wants another shot at Makhachev.
He handled himself like a champion in and out of the octagon and he finally seems to be seeping into the Australian consciousness. In losing the fight, Volkanovski has won in almost every other relevant sense.
The next man Volkanovski fights at 145 pounds will lose, even as good as Yair Rodriguez looked in the co-main event last weekend. I am confident in saying that Volk is simply too good and he knows it.
The ballad of Alexander Volkanovski will continue on. I hope it culminates with a second Makhachev fight. I know who I’d pick to win it.
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