Alexander Volkanovski is a champion on a mission.

The legendary featherweight champion is set to return to his division in two months at UFC 298 on February 17 after failing on his second attempt at capturing lightweight gold this past October. “The Great” had made it a goal to rematch the current 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev after their thrilling matchup in February resulted in a unanimous decision for Makhachev. After an injury to Charles Oliveira 12 days out from UFC 294, Volkanovski stepped up to the plate and filled in, where he succumbed to a first-round knockout loss by head kick and punches.

As surprising as it was to see the top three pound-for-pound champion lose in said fashion, Volkanovski shocked the community with his post-fight press conference comments that highlighted some mental struggles he battled ahead of the bout. Volkanovski, 35, was quick to share with the public after the presser that he’s fine and will be back stronger. Going into his upcoming title defense against Ilia Topuria, it’s only made for further fuel to his motivational fire.

“If people are gonna see weakness, if my opponents think that’s weakness ... The beautiful thing is, I have mixed emotions about people seeing me like that then I’m like, you know what, I’m glad I did because it was a positive, I believe,” Volkanovski told Who The Fook Are These Guys? “A lot of people need to see that. Not just that, people get to see what happens next. I hope these people are seeing it as weakness. Watch me walk through my next opponents. Watch me do what I’m gonna do and shut these people up. Then all of the sudden, I can literally look at these people and be like, ‘Shut your mouth.’ That’s right. I am still that guy.

“You might see me vulnerable, but don’t forget I’m the — hey, one day I might be a little vulnerable, you might see me there covering my face at that one point but the next week, I’m the baddest man on the planet. You remember that, and some people need to be reminded. The beautiful thing is I get to remind them not too far away.”

Volkanovski vs. Topuria was the fight at featherweight fans expected to see next even before the champion returned to lightweight for his second shot at Makhachev. The undefeated 14-0 Topuria solidified his title shot with a dominant five-round unanimous decision over perennial contender Josh Emmett in June and has maintained his stance on waiting to fight for the title.

The pair had their first impromptu faceoff in the crowd at UFC 290 following Volkanovski’s third-round TKO of Yair Rodriguez. Topuria has stated on numerous occasions that he’ll finish Australia’s finest and released a theatrical teaser video upon the title fight’s announcement. All of the chatter and visuals from Topuria have done nothing but show Volkanovski he’ll have to put another notable contender in their place.

“This guy thinks he’s the man,” Volkanovski said. “It’s funny. For me, I’ve always wanted to earn my stripes. Earn these positions, put myself in there, and earn that respect. This guy’s just getting things given to him and probably not even that much but he thinks he’s the man. The beautiful thing about it is I get to teach a kid a lesson.

“Ready to go out there, I’m hoping to teach him a lesson, humble him a little bit, and still let him wake up to himself and then he can bounce back when my time’s done. He needs a bit of humbling. 26, perfect age. He needs the world to see. He maybe needs a bit of embarrassment and snap things into gear and maybe he can one day be a great champion. Right now he wants to act like how he’s acting, I’m just gonna teach him a lesson, I’m gonna embarrass him, he’s young enough to bounce back in a positive way. I’ll play teacher the next few months.”

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VIDEO STEW

The MMA Hour.

UFC Vegas 83 promo.

Free fight.

Full fight.

Comeback of 2018.

Chandler on Hiatus.

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LISTEN UP

On To the Next One. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alex K. Lee discuss the matches to make after UFC Austin.

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MORNING MUSIC

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Onward.

Birthday boy.

Featherweight funk.

Banterin’ with Bones.

Call to action.

Sweet.

Solid.

Ouch.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

It would be pretty on par with Volkanovski to do exactly as he plans if the first Makhachev loss was anything to go by. Doubt him and he flourishes.

Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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