Alexander Volkanovski opens up on mental health struggles in powerful speech after UFC 294 defeat

Alexander Volkanovski spoke candidly about his mental health struggles amid inactivity in the UFC following his crushing defeat against Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski bravely stepped in on short notice to replace Charles Oliveira to face Makhachev in the main-event of UFC 294.

But he succumbed to the Dagestan star as he was knocked out by a vicious head-kick in the first round of their UFC lightweight championship bout.

It's his second defeat to the UFC lightweight king, having suffered a narrow loss at the start of the year.

Speaking in his post-fight press conference, the Australian fighter touched on his training camp, revealing he wasn't training as much as he should've been ahead of UFC 294.

He also emotionally revealed his mental health problems in a powerful speech. Check it out below:

"I don’t want to sit there and obviously make excuses," he told reporters following the Abu Dhabi card.

"You know what I mean? Obviously, I’m a big believer in preparation and stuff like that. But I back myself, so that’s the decision I made. You know what I mean? I’ve probably made decisions... I could’ve made better decisions, but he’s not somebody you should be taking a short notice with. But I needed it."

Alexander Volkanovski following his defeat at UFC 294. Image: Getty

The UFC featherweight title holder added: "A lot of people will say it’s for the money and all that, but it was much more than that. It was hard. It really is hard for athletes. Sorry... I never thought I’d struggle with it, but for some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp, f**k, sorry... I was just doing my head in. I needed a fight.

"This opportunity came up and to be honest, I wasn’t training as much as I should’ve. But I thought I had to do it. I had to take it. I’m telling myself it’s meant to be.

"I was struggling a bit not fighting, doing my head in. I don’t know how. Everything’s fine. I have a beautiful family but I don’t know. You just need to keep busy. That’s why I just asked the UFC to keep my busy. I just need to be keeping busy. I need to be in camp, otherwise I’m going to do my head in."

Volkanovski is hoping for a quick turnaround despite the stoppage defeat at UFC 294.

He could be in line to defend his 145lbs strap against No.1 contender Ilia Topuria in January.

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