Athletes
Alexander Volkanovski Always Thrives When He Is Doubted
Despite A Couple Failed Bids For Double-Champ Status, Alexander Volkanovski Is Keen To Remind Everyone How Great He Is When He Defends His Featherweight Title At UFC 298
If there’s a defining word for Alexander Volkanovski’s reign as the featherweight champion, it is “professionalism.” Since winning the belt in December 2019, “The Great” has regularly shown up, made weight, put on an excellent performance and spun the wheel forward. While some champions chasing a second belt draw the ire of their peers for holding up a division, almost every featherweight contender shrugged and said some version of, “He earned it,” when he made his first bid for the lightweight title in February 2022. He even earns respect in defeat; his knockout loss to Islam Makhachev in their rematch at UFC 294 only happened because he stepped in for the injured Charles Oliveira on 10 days’ notice.
Afterward, a candid Volkanovski expressed his struggles with inactivity and immediately wanted to defend his title against the surging Ilia Topuria in early 2024. The champ got his wish, and the two are set to clash in the main event of UFC 298 on February 17 in Anaheim, California.
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“I'm lucky enough that I still hold a belt,” Volkanovski told UFC.com. “I was getting greedy. I wanted to win another, but that's a part of it. At least I still get to defend, and I get to get back in there and keep being successful and keep making that money for me and my family.”
The husband and father to three daughters maintains the mantra of a “champion chasing contenders.” That hasn’t changed during his three years as the featherweight king, even agreeing to a third fight with Max Holloway, whom he’d already defeated twice.
Alexander Volkanovski Backstage Interview | UFC 2024 Seasonal Press Conference
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Alexander Volkanovski Backstage Interview | UFC 2024 Seasonal Press Conference
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A good reason for that is his ultra-competitiveness. Although he is universally considered one of the best fighters, pound-for-pound, Volkanovski continuously finds or facilitates a way to put him in the mindset of an underdog.
“I think I'm hungrier than these guys trying to chase that belt, and I've always been that way,” he said. “I’m more dedicated to the sport, more passionate, more calculated. I think all this counts, especially when you're defending your belt, so this is why I feel like I can defend it for so long: because I'm more passionate than ever.
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He’ll need every bit of that passion, calculation and hunger against the undefeated Topuria. “El Madator” is a perfect 6-0 in the Octagon with four finishes ranging from the devastating to the sublime, but his most recent outing was arguably his most impressive.
Facing Josh Emmett in a five-round main event, Topuria smashed the former interim title challenger for 25 minutes en route to a unanimous decision that featured a 50-42 scorecard. The 26-year-old is understandably brimming with confidence, believing UFC 298 represents the day the Volkanovski-era ends and his own championship reign begins. Topuria even mused about his title shot actually being the “easiest” fight for him to date.
Volkanovski isn’t sure whether that chatter is something his opponent truly believes or just the usual banter going into a fight. If it’s the former, however, the 35-year-old thinks he’ll have some lessons to teach the German-born Spaniard.
“There's nothing wrong with being cocky,” Volkanovski said. “It's okay as long as you're putting the work in, so maybe he's putting the work in. We don't know. Maybe he's preparing for the worst. If he's preparing to just go out there and do what he's always done and (think) it's going to work against myself, then he's delusional, and it's going to be a big negative for him. It's not going to work out well for him when you think about that. (However), if he's saying these things, but he's preparing and still trying to get better knowing that he needs to step up, then it's a different story.”
A trendy stat that gets thrown around is the fact that the only fighter over the age of 35 competing at 170-pounds or below to win a title fight is Tyron Woodley, who did it twice. Volkanovski’s win over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 came two months before his 35th birthday.
Of course, MMA math is notoriously fraught as is superstition. People look at haircuts on embedded or Drake’s betting habits or the cover of the latest UFC game to get a hint of a premonition. The only definitive thing, however, is the result, and nobody has ever gotten the better of Volkanovski at 145 pounds.
“I always, always thrive when I'm being doubted,” he said. “Obviously, everyone's got a lot of respect for me. I just think some people do need reminding. There's not too many of them, but I'll look out for that because that's what motivates me. That's what gets me going. I want everyone to remember that I'm king of this division, and there's a reason for that. You'll be seeing that same Alex that you've seen.”
UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria took place live from Honda Center in Anaheim, California on February 17, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
