as he vented about mental health struggles, saying he was “doing my head in” in the months prior to taking the short-notice rematch against Islam Makhachev .
Volkanovski said he had a lot of pressure built up given the recent birth of his daughter and arm surgery after UFC 290 that slowed down his training. Taking the fight against Makhachev was almost a return to normalcy for him. “Sometimes you put a lot of pressure on yourself because I know I need to make the most of me in my prime because my days are numbered,” Volkanovski said. “Me and my wife, we’re great. We have a beautiful family, and we’re good. I want everyone to know that. I don’t want everyone thinking that it’s not like that.