Alexander Volkanovski was born on September 29, 1988. Volkanovsk is a mixed martial artist from Australia. He is the current UFC Featherweight Champion and fights in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was once the Featherweight champion of the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC). Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer in 2015 before making his UFC debut. He is currently ranked first in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings as of 16 November 2022.
Name | Alexander Volkanovski |
D.O.B | September 29, 1988 |
Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
Weight | 66 kg |
Occupation | Mixed Martial Artist |
Professional Debut | 2012 |
Wife | Emma Volkanovski |
Nicknames | The Great, Alexander The Great, The Hulk |
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Greek and Macedonian parents brought Volkanovski into the world in Shellharbour, NSW, Australia. Early on, he began wrestling training, and he went on to win the Australian championship. He shifted his attention to rugby league, where he played for the Warilla Gorillas and won the Premiership with them in 2011 and the Australia Rugby Mick Cronin Medal in 2010 as a Group 7 player.
In order to stay in shape for rugby league, where he weighed 97 kg, Volkanovski began training in MMA and Greco-Roman wrestling, according to Freestyle Fighting Gym teacher Joe Lopez. Volkanovski was named man of the match in the 2011 Group Seven grand final when Warilla defeated Gerringong (214 Ib).
He quickly realized, though, that he was passionate about the game and wanted to advance as far as possible. In 2012, he turned to combat sports. He had an appearance as a coach in the amateur MMA reality series Malaysia Invasion. Volkanovski is a superb offensive wrestler and a solid counter-striker with a strong overhand right.
In late 2011, he will give up rugby at the age of 23 to focus on a professional MMA career. Before turning pro, Volkanovski had a perfect record in amateur competition. In 2012, he would make his professional debut at Revolution Promotions, where he was declared the winner by a unanimous vote. Volkonovski racked up a 13-1 record while competing on the Oceania regional circuit, winning the titles of AFC Featherweight, PXC Featherweight, Wollongong Wars Lightweight, Roshambo MMA Lightweight, and Cage Conquest Welterweight.
In 2016, Volkanovski competed in the UFC for the first time, winning by TKO in Whittaker vs. Brunson (punches). Before receiving a championship opportunity for the UFC Featherweight Championship against Max Holloway, Volkanovski would go on a 7-fight winning run in the UFC and defeat MMA veterans Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo.
At UFC 245, Volkanovski defeated Holloway by Unanimous Decision to win the title of UFC Featherweight. At UFC 251, he would defeat Holloway in a Split decision to defend his championship. At UFC 266, Volkanovski faced Brian Ortega in a championship defense for the second fight. The Champion controlled the contest and prevailed by Unanimous Decision to extend his winning run in the UFC to ten matches.
Following his third victory against the former champion Max Holloway, Volkanovski has become the top fighter pound-for-pound in the most recent UFC rankings. Holloway was Volkanovski’s opponent for the featherweight championship. Since joining UFC in 2016, the Australian has gone unbeaten and is currently 25-1 in his professional career. Moving up in weight class will be his next test as he attempts to become the second fighter, after Conor McGregor, to simultaneously hold the lightweight and featherweight crowns.
26 matches | 25 wins | 1 loss |
By knockout | 12 | 1 |
By submission | 3 | 0 |
By decision | 10 | 0 |