Makhachev explained why the first fight with Volkanovski turned out to be competitive

Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion, explained why their first fight with Alex Volkanovski turned out to be competitive.

“The first fight turned out to be competitive, but I didn’t want to talk about it so that it would look like an excuse. I fought with Oliveira and immediately started preparing for Volkanovski. The body had a hard time coping with that preparation; we prepared very hard. In the winter I trained in the mountains and then went to Australia. Acclimatization turned out to be difficult. The tournament was set for the morning, and I was unable to recover and prove myself. Arriving at the arena, I already understood that the fight would be difficult.”

Let us remember that in the first fight Makhachev won against Volkanovski by decision, and in the rematch he knocked him out.