Alexander Volkanovski definitively answers if he regrets fighting Ilia Topuria so soon after KO loss to Islam Makhachev 

Alexander Volkanovski suffered back-to-back defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria in his last two outings. It was the first time 'The Great' lost two fights on the bounce in his professional career, and many fans have pointed to his rematch with Makhachev as a potentially major reason for his KO loss to Topuria.

At UFC 294, the Dagestani was set to face Charles Oliveira in a rematch. But several weeks before fight night 'do Bronx' suffered a cut above his eye that forced him out of the clash.

Volkanovski stepped in on short notice, with the memories of his epic UFC 284 battle with Makhachev giving fans hope that he may be able to topple the lightweight king at the second time of asking.

But he suffered a first-round KO loss, resoundingly ending their budding rivalry. 'The Great' had already agreed to fight Topuria at UFC 297 before accepting the short-notice rematch with Makhachev, and the promotion moved his bout with 'El Matador' to UFC 298 instead.

With Volkanovski having been knocked out only four months earlier, many felt he returned against Topuria too soon.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the Australian was asked if he regretted facing 'El Matador' at UFC 298, and he replied, saying this:

"No, I don't regret it. That's who I am, that's what made me the champion that I was. A lot of people think it's a bad idea but if you look at it going in, that's me challenging myself... The only thing I regret is I wish I was, expecially before the Islam [rematch], I wish I was more prepared, training more... But I do not regret taking those fights."

Catch Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (22:30):

---

Alexander Volkanovski breaks down Ilia Topuria's chances against Islam Makhachev

Prior to fighting Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct. 26, Ilia Topuria declared that after he defeated 'Blessed', he would move to lightweight and be the first man to submit Islam Makhachev, arguably the best grappler in MMA.

With Alexander Volkanovski having faced both Topuria and Makhachev, he was asked to share his thoughts on the potential clash during his recent interview with Ariel Helwani. He said this:

"The submission, I don't see that happening. Can he knock Islam out? Of course, he can knock anyone out in [featherweight and lightweight]." [ 33:50-34:05 in Alexander Volkanovski's aforementioned interview]