The Australian UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski will surely go down as one of the greatest featherweight fighters in the sport. ‘The Great’ is currently undefeated in the UFC with a professional fighting record of 25-1 under his name.
Volkanovski became the UFC featherweight champion in 2019. Since then, he has defended the title for successful times. Fans are well aware of the amazing fighting career of the Australian fighter. However, very few people know that before stepping into professional MMA, ‘The Great’ was a semi-professional rugby player during his initial days.
Alexander Volkanovski- A brief about his rugby career
The UFC champion born in Shellharbour, New South Wales, practiced wrestling as a kid. However, after winning a national title in the sport, young Volkanovski left wrestling behind to pursue a career in professional rugby.
Volkanovski competed in matches for the Southern Division, Group 7 rep teams, Country team, and Illawarra Steelers. Later, in 2002, Alexander Volkanovski wore the number 10 shirt when competing for the Warilla-Lake South J.R.L.F.C. under 14’s Premiers.
Alexander Volkanovski, a player with the Warilla-Lake South Gorillas, was awarded a recognition medal in 2010 for being the league’s top player. Additionally, he received the man of the match award in the Group 7 Grand Finals for his last season in 2011 for his role in the team’s triumph.
‘The Great’ stated in one of his appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he used to weigh in around 214-215. After a brief career in rugby, Volkanovski transitioned to MMA. He has competed in several promotions and in different weight categories from 185 to 145. Suffering only one professional loss since 2012, turning to MMA turned out to be a great decision for the Aussie fighter.
UFC 284- The ultimate test
As aforementioned, Volkanovski will go down as one of the greatest featherweights ever. However, ‘The Great’ is yet to face his ultimate challenge, which is tonight at UFC 284. Inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Volkanovski will face the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
The fight is set for the lightweight belt. If Volkanovski defeats Makhachev, he will become the first Australian dual-weight champion in the history of the UFC. Also, if he wins, ‘The Great’ will cement his number one position on the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
ALSO READ: UFC 284 Reddit Stream: When and How to Watch Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski has won over several top-tier fighters in the featherweight division of UFC. If he wins the lightweight gold against Makhachev tonight, ‘The Great’ will have nothing much left to prove in his MMA career. He will always be remembered as a fighter who lived up to his moniker ‘The Great.’
Do you guys think Volkanovski can get the champ-champ status? What are your thoughts on Volkanovski’s rugby career?
