Alexander Volkanovski felt he was "held hostage" by training schedule, details return timeline prioritizing rest and recovery

Alexander Volkanovski's return has become a talking point in MMA circles ever since his UFC 298 loss to Ilia Topuria.

Fortunately for fans, the former featherweight champion has touched on his octagon return, among other topics, in a recent video posted on his official YouTube channel.

While talking about his recovery, Volkanovski asserted that he would be taking his back-to-back knockout losses seriously by allowing his brain the time it needs to rest. He is hoping for a return later in the year for what he hopes is a title rematch with Topuria, if he is still champion by then.

He specifically expressed a desire to spend time with his family during his recovery, given that he couldn't do so previously due to his training commitments:

"You know, been taking the girls to soccer, like, you know, school, dancing, whatever it is, you know, taking them out. I'm going to take them camping, going to be doing a whole heap of stuff that, you know, I really felt like I couldn't do, because obviously you know I'm still committed to my sport."

However, he also recognized that his commitment to training is a double-edged sword, as Volkanovski has made previous statements alluding to his mental difficulties whenever he isn't fighting:

"But rest is needed right now, you know, for the head and everything, so the timing's just perfect, you know. So I don't have that feel, like I have that... I don't know if this sounds more of a negative, I felt like I was held hostage to my training schedule, which I just feel like is not the case right now, 'cause I know the rest is what's needed."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski talk about taking time to recover (7:51):

Whether Volkanovski is actually given a title shot upon his return is unconfirmed, as the UFC is likely keeping its options open for now.

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Alexander Volkanovski is now on the first losing streak of his career

Alexander Volkanovski spent the majority of his career borderline undefeated, having only suffered a loss at welterweight in his pre-UFC days.

He went on a tear, winning his next 22 fights. However, his last two outings have been two to forget, as he was knocked out by Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

Both defeats came in championship fights, with the knockout against Makhachev almost certainly depriving him of another immediate crack at the lightweight gold for the foreseeable future, while his loss to Topuria took his featherweight title away.