Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski, much like his namesake Alexander the Great, is chasing the opportunity to go down in the annals of history, and he’s doing all the right things to make that happen. Similar to the source of his nickname, Alexander “The Great” is chasing the opportunity to go down in the annals of history, and he’s doing all the right things to make that happen. But even as the top featherweight in the world - and consensus pound-for-pound No. 1 - Volkanovski has every intention of holding down the fort at both 145 and 155, even if that means fighting three or four times in a year.
Dominance in the Featherweight Division
His reign over the UFC 145-pound division crossed the three-year mark in December. He’s 3-0 over the aforementioned Holloway and holds a victory over Jose Aldo - the only other two men to hold the UFC featherweight crown. “If you’re talking about actual opponents, Max Holloway, it doesn’t get much bigger than your Max Holloways,” Volkanovski recently told The Post via Zoom.
The Lightweight Challenge: Makhachev
Makhachev (23-1, 15 finishes) infamously referred to the 5-foot-6 Volkanovksi as “the short guy” in the moments after claiming the 155-pound crown from Charles Oliveira in October. Though Volkanovski isn’t tall - the defending champ from Dagestan, Russia will have a 4-inch height edge - he’s not exactly “small” either. A squat ex-rugby player, he used to compete in that sport at greater than 200 pounds.
Alexander Volkanovski's 10-Fight Win Streak to Start UFC Career
Adapting Strategy for Lightweight
The added mass for this fight isn’t meant to be permanent, and Volkanovski doesn’t expect to be adding it every time he competes at lightweight. “I wouldn’t have bulked up as much,” Volkanovski says. The bulk is meant to help deal with the dogged grappling of Makhachev, who like his “brother” and longtime friend Khabib Nurmagomedov does his best work on the mat and is adept at bringing the fight into his world. Many a striker have been taken out of their game by the mere threat of a takedown from takedown artists of Makhachev’s ilk. They don’t throw hands and feet, and they don’t fight their fight.
“At the end of the day, we know where my advantages are, we know where his advantages are, so I can’t be hesitant,” Volkanovski explained. “I can’t be second-guessing myself on the feet, so you’re gonna see me do what I always do. Obviously, we’re going to have some structure to make things hard for them. But at the same time, I can’t be just boring and looking just for his takedown to stuff. I’ll worry about that if he can even get square on me, even if he can get in onto my hips. “First thing I need to worry about [is] my movement and me punching him in the face. That’s where I’m gonna an advantage. A lot of people can’t really do that. They do worry too much about the takedown; they freeze.
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Future Prospects
Should Saturday go his way, Volkanovski’s next title fight could still be at 145 pounds against the winner of the UFC 284 co-main event, an interim title fight between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett that’s essentially a puffed up No. 1 contender bout.
Volkanovski's Career Highlights
Volkanovski started training in 2011 to keep fit, as he was a professional rugby league player at the time. He knew the first day I stepped into the MMA Gym that I had what it took to make it to not only compete in the UFC but take it all the way. To finally be given my shot after walking away from a successful rugby league career and putting my family’s life on hold proves I made the right decisions and I have proven myself to my supportive wife and family.
Before fighting, he was concreting for the family business and finished high school a few weeks into year 11 to take on a role concreting within the family business. He only had four amateur fights and they were all first round knockouts with a combined total time of less than five minutes for my total amateur career. He has never fought an opponent with a losing record and hates fights that don't seem equal and has never been one to pad his record. He has a knockout win over UFC veteran Anton Zafir, knocked out Rodolfo Marques and Jamie Mullarkey.
Volkanovski upon learning of the yet-to-be accomplished feat, said “Oh, they haven’t? OK, that’s good to know. That’s something I wouldn’t mind doing. So, there you go."
Titles and Accomplishments
- PXC World Featherweight Champion
- AFC Featherweight Champion 2X
- WARS MMA Welterweight Champion
- WARS MMA Featherweight Champion
- RMMA Welterweight Champion
- RMMA Lightweight Champion
- Cage Conquest Welterweight Champion
- Tapology Ranked pound for pound number 1 in Australia and New Zealand and South East Asia
- Fight Matrix Number 1 ranked Featherweight and Lightweight in Oceania and number 36 in the world
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