Alexander Volkanovski Provides Positive Update on Sparring Following KO Loss

It appears to be all systems go for Alexander Volkanovski as he begins preparations to face Ilia Topuria in the UFC 298 main event on Feb. 17.

The UFC featherweight champion revealed in a post on his YouTube channel that he has begun sparring after clearing concussion protocols. Volkanovski suffered a head-kick knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title bout at UFC 294 on Oct. 21. The City Kickboxing standout lobbied for a quick turnaround in the aftermath of the defeat, which raised concerns that he might be coming back too quickly.

“Just had my first spar,” Volkanovski said. “So, obviously had to follow all the protocols, concussion, back to training. So, followed all the protocols to a tee, no symptoms, kept it rolling, kept it rolling. Felt real good. No knocks, no symptoms still. So, we’re rolling. We’re going to keep this baby rolling. Very, very happy with it.

“Very thankful for the team behind me … and all my training partners … my doctors, as well, they’ve literally dealt with thousands of concussions, so they made sure I followed [protocols] to a tee. Mate, I feel great, was able to train the whole way through, so I haven’t lost too much fitness, which is good. We’ve still got plenty of time before we even get into camp. Now I get to ease back into a full training schedule.”

Volkanovski will defend his featherweight crown against Topuria at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. “The Great” is undefeated at 145 pounds in the Octagon, including a third-round TKO of Yair Rodriguez in his most recent belt defense at UFC 290 this past July.