Alexander Volkanovski takes questions from the press after his main event loss to Ilia Topuria for the featherweight championship …
Alex all class as always I mean clearly obviously not the result you wanted tonight but I guess as you’re processing things you know we saw the pain of of the last one that you had to process as you sit there tonight what’s what’s the feeling like oh yeah now like that’s that that that was totally different you know what I mean this one uh you know was High Spirits hway I’m still still in High Spirits you know it’s yeah he caught me that’s that you know I felt good in there I felt like I seen everything uh early uh you know what I mean and but he ended up uh catching me you know I was pretty comfortable in the first round and then we started being like we’ll start to do more I was just about to do more and he caught me so it’s just a game Prett sure I’m pretty confident we you know we we’ll probably up until then but that’s that’s just that’s the game the opening round it looked like you were having some success I mean were things playing out exactly as you saw him was was there anything he did that was you know maybe he was a little faster than you thought or maybe he was a little better was there anything in there surprised you no no cuz we knew we would be fast we knew would be powerful obviously uh we knew not to be on the on the C cage there and let him catch her there so uh again he did you know he he did a great job there so there’s there’s not much I can say other than uh congrats to him but you know obviously you know I’ve been a champ for a long time and you know I want that rematch you know so it’s uh that’s something that you know need needs to happen so you know I’ve been raining chair for how long you know I’ve been a bit of a company man you know I’ve backed up on short notice and you know fought Max three times you name it uh I’ve done it and been chair for a long time so I think I deserve that and uh it’s going to be different next time yeah Dan was here earlier tonight he said you’re clearly the greatest featherweight of all time so I don’t think that changes but you know I think the talk coming into this was like the only concern was mean your greatness is known is he turning around too fast right there was The Knockout four months ago is there a physical element is there something that’s going to think that fact you can’t take anything away from toor if he puts a hand on you like that like you’re going to go down like I don’t care how you know that’s just that like I mean that was a clean right hand uh you know and I think no matter who you are like you let one of one of those land on your chin while you’re caught there you’re probably going down don’t let him catch you that that’s that’s what that was you know what I mean so he caught me so I won won’t take nothing away from him you know what I mean I’m not going to sit there and say was this or was that uh I felt great Camp was great um I felt good in there like I said I seen everything he threw I thought you know like I knew he would be fast and Powerful but I I’ve seen everything you know what I mean there’s not much uh big shots he landed before then like in his C kicks he was landed a couple of those but I’m pretty durable so I’m all good with that so I was be able to I was able to keep the weight on there but yeah last thing for me you said in the hey let’s go to Spain let’s do the rematch there um I mean would you want it I know how often you like to fight so would you turn right around if he wants to do it in three or four months it’s it’s got nothing to do about being active I want that rematch it’s just the the rematch you know what I mean so that’s that’s my goal you know what I mean obviously I always talk about oh we active like I don’t care about any of that I just want to rematch and I you know I don’t care what that is but I want the rematch would you well I guess I was asking would you prefer time like with home with the family first or SP or like do you want if it’s his next fight home you spend time with the family look he just won the B I’m not expecting him I’m not expecting every Champion to be as active as me you know what I mean so uh let’s be real he he just won the belt he’s going to go back celebrate um sure you’ll celebrate big uh so you know they usually take a bit of time till their next fight after after they take a belt so um you know whenever you know we’ll leave leave that leave that up to him leave we’ll see when that Spain card is and uh did anyone mention a Spain date yeah they said Spain D excited about going to Spain well there you go you know what I mean it’ll be massive I said I said I wanted to take take him out and then I would headlined it but I mean maybe I’m headlining as a as a challenger V vul just want back here uh wondering uh the whole old man vul really took a life of its own fans showed up in costume today to cheer you on I mean can you just speak to the fan reception to you out here in California this week oh man it’s been incredible you know the the the love from the the fans uh for the last couple of times I’ve been in crowds just been unreal you know what I mean so you know obviously appreciate every single one of them and thank you for turning out uh sorry I didn’t get the job done Alex um obviously it’s still really fresh and stuff but going into a rematch with Ilia I mean how do you think it would be different how would you approach it differently I’m sure on his end he’s going to be way more confident and there’s going to be way more doubt on you and which I know you thrive off but what are your immediate thoughts yeah I mean look you know you can’t give too much away but it’s pretty obvious uh you don’t want to be caught in front of him like especially on the cage you know what I mean and uh yeah so that’s I’ll I’ll leave it at that but I mean there’s definitely things that we could cap look I I wanted to start to do more I was about to uh you start you know bringing all the disciplines in you know what I mean but uh he caught me before before I did that I was like all right now I’ve got it now I can start adding uh some things on to it and um I think he ended up uh catching a couple of I was all right and then but it was just enough to get me on the back uh back to the fence and one right down the pipe right on the chin you know what I mean you get a big powerful puncher like that putting one on your chin while you’re stuck there that’s what’s going to happen so uh yeah again credit to him but that won’t happen again I just want to ask you about uh elia’s confidence right you you you’ve seen it he’s been confident forever you know he’s Ultra confident how much did that do you think that played into the fight at all do you think that like it helped him any more like I don’t no no I don’t think so I mean being confident is going to definitely help him not get too you know emotional or when things are you know if he’s because he was you know finding it hard to find me uh early like obviously with guys like EMT like he was able to just land the jab whenever he wanted and things like that like um he was finding it hard uh but you know he didn’t he didn’t crumble under that so maybe see that’s when the confidence can definitely help you so if you are really confident in your skill I think uh you know again he’s look man he’s a he’s a good dude you know he’s just uh you know playing I don’t know if he’s playing the game or what it is but yeah look he’s confident young fell uh and hey so he’s got every right now right like I can’t say much other than congratulations it worked out like that’s a tough game you got to play when you want to go down that route uh and it worked out for him tonight so uh it’s just going to make a massive rematch in Spain by looks of it obviously you didn’t break the over 35 curse that’s been talked about so next time going into the rematch are you going to dye your hair dye your beard gray like like what you know we’re still going to run that old man vog don’t worry about that that’s here to stay you know what I mean it’s a are we in Hollywood too you know maybe get some Hollywood uh acting up in here as well any connections what what he reckon and then finally for me I just wanted to what was the uh idea to bring Zuckerberg to walk you out oh well he was uh coming to watch uh obviously I know a i m with him I have a chat with him regly he said he was coming to the event I’m like hey would love to have you come walk out you know what I mean and he goes you know if it’s not going to get in the way I’m it ain’t getting in the way would’ love that he did so he appreciated that something different eh there 155 still in your goals I mean I know you want to get your belt back at 45 but you still hav you still Envision yourself going up to 155 and trying to get a belt over there as well right now I don’t want to talk about that I want to talk about my rematch that’s it so uh it’s just uh by the looks of he want Spain I think Dana did D Dana mention Spain he said he loved it yep let’s just talk about Spain and uh 145 fair enough and obviously as just mentioned z um did did what did he say to you after did he get to talk to to you after yeah yeah he was he was backstage with us he was in the room and just sayy like U everyone knows that this is the game you know what I mean like you know obviously it’s it is a two in a row but I mean it’s that’s that’s fine like last one but this one got caught all good like U that’s look I’ve been the hammer plenty of times I was a nail today so it’s it’s all good I’ll bounce back trust me obviously I can tell all eyeses are on Spain for you and that re reclaim your belts but you did say at media day that you kind of wanted to fight at MSG one day before you call it so maybe this no MSG is that one you want you want to get in this year yeah well maybe if SP Spain one doesn’t happen for the rematch maybe we do it do it in MSU it doesn’t matter like you know I mean it’s just I want that rematch uh you know I think I deserved it as as I’ve said I’ve been riging champ for what almost 5 years is that right almost five years uh defended multiple times you know what I mean fought you know Max three times when you know let’s be real I didn’t have to short notice fights being active you know I’m I’m you know doing doing the favors and I just want that rematch I I don’t ask for much and speaking of Max what do you make of his fight against Justin gatei at UFC 300 a great fight that’s going to be fun you know that’s uh yeah I’m excited to watch that one for sure awesome thank you for your time thank you Alex uh we see a lot of Fighters after a crushing loss just not even want to come out and face the media why was it important for you to come out and talk tonight oh me like uh it’s that’s it’s a part of the game you know what I mean like U you know all I want to talk to is when I win and when I lose that that that’s just how it is uh obviously the last one was a bit different you know what I mean cuz uh yeah it was obviously as as you see me after it was a you know a little bit you know it was early a couple months there I think people maybe took that out of look I’m I’m sweet like you would see me breaking down now if it was a problem but I was just uh you know wasn’t wasn’t good then before that fight and that’s why you see me then but now I’m good you see me in high spe Spirits I just want that rematch you know I mean now I’m I’m just motivated more than ever just to you know I need that that that belt back and now uh that’s that’s all that that matters to me before was I I want to be active I want this I want the you I just try you know but now it’s just give me that damn rematch if a rematch isn’t next and you’re it is next it’s next if if it’s not do you see yourself kind of going back and forth between weight classes again uh after I get the belt back after the rematch we’ll bounce between the to yes thank you sorry mate all good all right thank you appreciate it sorry