Volkanovski's short-notice fights

Sports · Heat 1.2 / 10 · 2 shows · 3m airtime

On the September 2 JRE MMA Show, Rogan and Ewing criticized Alexander Volkanovski for taking short-notice fights against Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria after knockout losses, arguing he was not in training when he took the Makhachev rematch. Volkanovski has since said he fought Makhachev on 11 days' notice and that the loss had nothing to do with Abu Dhabi. The conditioning claim is now contested by the fighter himself; the Topuria bout about four months later remains part of the original criticism, and no further response from his team has surfaced.

How 2 podcasts covered it

1. The Joe Rogan Experience, 2026-09-02 (35:28 to 36:38)
   Criticizes Volkanovski's short-notice losses
   Rogan and Ewing criticize Volkanovski for taking short-notice fights against Makhachev and Topuria after being knocked out, arguing he should not have taken the Makhachev fight while out of training.
   New angle: Volkanovski was not in training when he took the short-notice fight against Makhachev.
2. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-24 (4:46 to 6:35)
   Adds Volkanovski on the 11-day-notice loss
   Volkanovski himself goes on the record about the short-notice Makhachev fight, saying the loss came from taking it on 11 days' notice and not from fighting in Abu Dhabi. The superstition talk around it is banter.
   New angle: Volkanovski says he fought Makhachev on 11 days' notice and the loss had nothing to do with Abu Dhabi.