Alexander Volkanovski will go down as one of the best UFC champions in history when all is said and done — but his run to winning multiple featherweight world titles wasn’t always plain sailing.

The Australian, who turns 37 in September, regained the UFC’s 145-pound title in April, winning a comprehensive decision over Diego Lopes in April to secure the title which had been vacated by Ilia Topuria — who in turn had defeated Volkanovski by knockout to win the crown a year and a bit prior. That loss for Volk followed about five months after he was defeated by Islam Makhachev by head-kick KO in his second ill-fated bid to win the organisation’s lightweight title.

And speaking to Demetrious Johnson’s MightyCast, as noted by MMA Fighting, Volk elaborated on the effects of those two knockout losses which came in relatively quick succession.

“I had a decent concussion from Islam,” Volkanovski explained. “I feel like I had more of a concussion from the Islam one. Even though I was knocked out longer with Ilia, I had a lot more of the symptoms with the Islam one.

“So I didn’t have head contact [in sparring], but then when you’re easing into it, now you’re easing into it, making sure you’re not getting hit. Trying to put yourself in safer positions and you even start camp wrong. I should have had the break.”

Volkanovski also opened up on his motivation ahead of the Makhachev rematch, which came on notice of less than two weeks after the Russian’s original opponent, Charles Oliveira, withdrew.

“I can accept the situation and I’ll tell myself to make it work even though it’s probably not going to,” he said. “I’m telling you, I went in there [ahead of the Makhachev rematch] going I’m going to be more dangerous now because I’m at 11 days. I literally told myself that.

“I’m literally like, ‘This is the most dangerous you’ve seen me.’ I’m not beating him by decision, I have to go, I’m going to have to be more aggressive, I’m going to take more risks, and I literally believed it.”