UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski gives positive update after first spar under concussion protocol

Alexander Volkanovski had his first sparring session ahead of UFC 298, and he reported that it went well.

Featherweight champion Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) is set to face undefeated Ilya Topria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on February 17th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, to defend his title.

Volkanovski suffered a knockout loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October. There have been concerns about his quick recovery, but he assured that he has followed all necessary health protocols and provided a positive update ahead of the first spar.

“I just finished my first spar,” Volkanovski said. “So, obviously, I had to follow all the protocols from concussion to returning to training. So I followed all the protocols right up to the tee, I had no symptoms, I just kept rolling, kept rolling. It felt really good. No knocks, no symptoms yet. So we’re rolling. We’re going to keep this baby moving. We’re very, very happy.

“I’m very grateful to the team that supported me, of course Joe (Lopez) and all of my training partners. My doctors have treated literally thousands of concussions as well, so I’m very grateful to them for supporting me all the way to the tee. Mate made sure I followed (the instructions). Mate felt good and was able to train to the end so I didn’t lose too much strength, which is good. Camp there’s still plenty of time to get started. Now I can slowly get back to a full training schedule.”

Volkanovski, who has victorious fights over Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung-jung, and Yair Rodriguez, will be aiming to defend his title for the sixth time.

For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s UFC 298 event hub.