To become one of the greatest featherweights in the history of the UFC takes excellent conditioning and strength, in-ring intelligence, and unwavering focus. But Alexander Volkanovski has suggested that a sense of humor might help as well.
It has been a rollercoaster couple of years for ‘Old Man Volk’, who has dished out punishment to some of the UFC’s finest as well as taking his fair share. In the summer of 2023, Volkanovski defended his Featherweight title against Yair Rodríguez before unsuccessfully battling for double champion status against Islam Makhachev three months later.
His woes worsened when Ilia Topuria added Volkanovski to his unbeaten tally of 16, pinching his Lightweight title in the process. However, that title would return to him just four months later when Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes to reclaim the title vacated by Ilia.
Now resting and recuperating ahead of his currently unknown next fight, Volkanovski seems to be enjoying himself – and at the expense of some of the UFC’s most familiar faces.
In a viral Instagram clip, the Aussie champion joined comedy troupe Sooshi Mango to playfully mock the likes of UFC boss Dana White, Conor McGregor, Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett, and Joe Rogan.
The comedy troupe, who are known for incorporating aspects of their experiences growing up in an Italian family, start off the video by asking Volkanovski about his UFC status before comically mispronouncing the names of White and co. Dana White suddenly transforms into ‘Banana White’.
McGregor becomes ‘Conor McChicken Burger’ and Paddy ‘The Baddy’ turns into ‘Paddy with the Bad Pimples’. There’s even a musical mashup for reigning UFC Heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who is rather cleverly twisted into ‘Jon Bones Bon Jovi’.
Volkanovski is all too happy to play along and correct the comic trio until the mispronunciations become almost too difficult to translate.
The clip concludes with the trio turning on Volkanovski himself, butchering the featherweight’s surname with a crude pronunciation.
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Volk has always been a funny fan. From telling stories of how his daughter was scared of Islam Makhchev breaking into their house to dressing up as an actual old man, the featherweight champion has managed to take the mickey out of himself on more than one occasion.
Notably, he’s also managed to do that in collaboration with Mango before as well.
Old Man Volk meets Sooshi Mango
Volkanovski, who, like the three members of Sooshi Mango, is also Australian, also connects to the comedy troupe with his deeper family lineage.
The featherweight’s father is from North Macedonia, while his mother is from Greece. This perhaps explains Volkanovski’s beginnings in Greco-Roman wrestling – a discipline he was national champion twice.
Beyond commenting on their Italian heritage, Sooshi Mango often explores stereotypes from their broader European heritage. This includes references to Croatia, as well as Greece and Macedonia, making ‘Old Man Volk’ a great candidate for their skits.
In March last year, just after dropping his title to Topuria, Volkanovski teamed up with the troupe to produce a hilarious clip, prompting fans to claim that the veteran fighter fits right into the comedic group.
Many have even suggested that, should Volk pick a fourth career, after Rugby, MMA, and cooking on YouTube, comedy might just be it.
For the UFC veteran, it seems that comedy is the answer to all of his woes – whether that’s bouncing back from a big title loss or taking the time to relax after a busy run of fights.
