“I don’t do well when I’m not fighting” - Alexander Volkanovski shares concerning message about his mental health post loss to Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski faced another defeat against Islam Makhachev in their lightweight title rematch at UFC 294 on Saturday night. The 155-pound champion scored a knockdown on Volkanovski with a head kick in the opening round and then swiftly concluded the fight with a barrage of ground strikes.

'The Great' accepted the bout a mere 12 days before the event, stepping in for Charles Oliveira, who had to withdraw due to injury. Their first meeting occurred at UFC 284 back in February, when Makhachev secured a close unanimous decision victory in Alexander Volkanovski's native Australia.

In the rematch, the 31-year-old Dagestani adopted a new approach. He strategically used leg and body kicks in the opening round to set up a decisive head strike. Before the fight's conclusion, Islam Makhachev demonstrated his wrestling skills by targeting Volkanovski's legs, but the featherweight kingpin defended effectively before returning to the center of the cage. This strategy, along with the earlier kicks, created an ideal opening for the finish.

Alexander Volkanovski expressed profound respect for Islam Makhachev in his post-fight octagon interview:

"Great set up, good kick. I don’t like losing, it hurts me but he’s a great champion. Credit to Islam, great kick."

Volkanovski also conveyed a message about his mental well-being:

"I just wanna say to the UFC, please keep me busy. I don't do well when I'm not fighting. I needed to take this fight because I was doing my head in when I'm not fighting. Please keep me busy, I'm happy to go back in January."

Check out Volkanovski's octagon interview below:

Volkanovski opened up about his ongoing mental health challenges during the post-fight press conference as well.

Check out his comments below (from 2:00-6:00):