Alexander Volkanovski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexander Volkanovski |
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Volkanovski in 2018
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| Born | 29 September 1988 Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nickname(s) | The Great |
| Residence | Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Featherweight (2014–present) Lightweight (2014; 2016; 2023) Welterweight (2012–2013) |
| Reach | 71+1⁄2 in (182 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Windang, New South Wales, Australia |
| Team | City Kickboxing Tiger Muay Thai Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Freestyle Fighting Gym |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Joe Lopez |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 30 |
| Wins | 26 |
| By knockout | 13 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 10 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
Alexander Volkanovski (born 29 September 1988) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He is famous for competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was the former UFC Featherweight Champion.
Volkanovski is the second Australian to win a UFC title. Before joining the UFC, he was also a champion in the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC). He even competed as a professional boxer in 2015. He is currently ranked highly in the UFC featherweight division.
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About Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. His father is from North Macedonia and his mother is from Greece. This mixed heritage is why he uses the nickname "The Great". It refers to Alexander the Great, who also had a Macedonian father and a Greek mother.
Early Life and Sports
Alex started training in Greco-Roman wrestling when he was very young. He even won two national wrestling titles by the age of 12. At 14, he stopped wrestling to play rugby league. He played as a front rower, which is a strong position in rugby.
He played semi-professional rugby league for the Warilla Gorillas. In 2010, he won an award for being the league's best player. He also helped his team win the Grand Final in 2011.
Switching to Mixed Martial Arts
When he was 23, Alex decided to leave rugby league. He wanted to become a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. He had watched UFC events since he was a child.
His coach, Joe Lopez, said Alex started MMA training to stay fit during the rugby off-season. He weighed about 97 kilograms (214 pounds) then. But he soon found a real passion for MMA. He quickly became good at counter-striking and wrestling.
He started fighting as an amateur in the middleweight division. As he got more serious, he moved down to lighter weight classes. He fought in welterweight, then lightweight, and finally settled in the featherweight division.
Volkanovski once said:
"There are no excuses in fighting. You can be playing a team sport and have a good game, and you can lose. In fighting, it’s all on me. If I go out there and lose, then it’s my fault. I like that. So I know if I fight well, I’m going to win. I definitely love the fact that it’s all on you, and you do what you have to do to win. Each fight is like a grand final in the rugby league."
Alex trains at Freestyle Fighting Gym in Wollongong. He also trains in Phuket, Thailand, and Auckland, New Zealand. He trains with other famous UFC fighters like Israel Adesanya.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 30 matches | 26 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 3 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 10 | 1 |
Early Fights
Before joining the UFC, Volkanovski fought in different MMA groups. He won titles in Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) and the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC). He had a great record of 13 wins and only 1 loss before he joined the UFC. He had won 10 fights in a row!
Joining the UFC
Volkanovski made his UFC debut on 26 November 2016. He won his first UFC fight by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the second round. After this fight, he decided to move down to the featherweight division.
Featherweight Journey
He faced Mizuto Hirota in June 2017 and won by decision. He continued to win against fighters like Shane Young and Jeremy Kennedy.
In December 2018, he fought Chad Mendes at UFC 232. Volkanovski won by TKO in the second round. This exciting fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. He then faced former featherweight champion José Aldo in May 2019 and won by decision.
Becoming UFC Featherweight Champion
First Title Win
Volkanovski fought Max Holloway for the UFC Featherweight Championship on 14 December 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision and became the new champion!
Defending the Title
- Volkanovski vs. Holloway 2: He defended his title against Max Holloway again in July 2020. He won by a split decision, which means the judges were not all in agreement.
- Volkanovski vs. Ortega: In September 2021, he defended his title against Brian Ortega. He won by unanimous decision. This fight was amazing because Volkanovski escaped many tough submission attempts. It also earned him another Fight of the Night award.
- Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie: In April 2022, he fought Chan Sung Jung. Volkanovski won by TKO in the fourth round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
- Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3: He fought Max Holloway for a third time in July 2022. Volkanovski won again by unanimous decision, showing he was clearly the better fighter that night.
Moving Up a Weight Class
Volkanovski decided to challenge for the UFC Lightweight Championship in February 2023. He fought Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. He lost this fight by unanimous decision, but it was a very close and exciting match. It was named Fight of the Night and Fight of the Year by many.
Back to Featherweight
He returned to featherweight and fought Yair Rodríguez in July 2023. He won this fight by TKO in the third round, defending his featherweight title.
Recent Fights
In October 2023, Volkanovski stepped in on short notice to fight Islam Makhachev again for the Lightweight Championship. He lost this rematch by knockout in the first round.
His next fight was against Ilia Topuria for the Featherweight Championship in February 2024. Volkanovski lost the championship by knockout in the second round.
Professional Boxing Career
Alexander Volkanovski has also competed in professional boxing. He had one boxing match in 2015. He won this fight against Dillon Bargero by a unanimous decision.
Personal Life
Volkanovski is married. He has also appeared as a coach on a reality show about amateur MMA. He has his own YouTube channel where he shares videos with his fans.
Championships and Accomplishments
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
- He successfully defended his title five times.
- He has the second most title fight wins in UFC Featherweight history (6).
- He was the first Australian-born fighter to win a UFC championship.
- Fight of the Night (Three times)
- Performance of the Night (One time)
- He had the second longest winning streak in UFC Featherweight history (11 wins).
- He was ranked as the UFC Men's Pound-For-Pound No. 1 fighter in 2022 and 2023.
- His fights have won several "Fight of the Year" awards from different sports media.
- UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
- Australian Fighting Championship
- Australian Fighting Championship Featherweight Champion (one time)
- Pacific Xtreme Combat
- PXC Featherweight Champion
- World MMA Awards
- 2022 Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year
- 2022 International Fighter of the Year
Amateur Wrestling
- Australian National Schools Wrestling Competition
- Gold medal - 12/13 yrs 62 kg (2001)
Images for kids
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Volkanovski in 2018
See Also
In Spanish: Alexander Volkanovski para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
