Rugby League. The Australian is … I literally ate next to nothing.“I would train a lot; I was training rugby league, fighting, training and then concrete [work]. Combatte nella categoria dei pesi piuma per l'organizzazione statunitense UFC della quale è l'attuale campione indiscusso. But, you know, I took him on and I did alright, I held my own, but things didn’t go well.“It went a lot better for me after that because I realised that he was too strong so I thought ‘right I have to go down, or I have to start grappling as well’. And when I was getting close to fights, I was eating next to nothing.”When Joe Rogan asked if he got ill from yoyo-dieting, Volkanovski was extremely honest.“Yes, 100 per cent,” he replied, “staph infections all the time.“It’s crucial, diet – the science to it all – now it’s an absolute game-changer.“I had to miss out on fights due to bad staph infections, MRSA, and all that type of [stuff].”Check out behind-the-scenes footage of UFC Fight Island on Abu Dhabi before a packed summer of fights
"You're not going to be wanting to jump straight back in the cage any time soon, that's for sure.
Just under a decade ago, Alex Volkanovski made the decision to leave rugby league behind him and venture into the world of mixed martial arts. Volkanovski quickly established himself as one of Australia's brightest prospects in MMA, and made his UFC debut in the lightweight division (70kg) in late 2016 after building an impressive 14-1 professional record. The Australian defeated Max Holloway in convincing fashion last December to claim the world title and defends his belt against the same opponent this weekend at UFC 251. Winning his debut bout, he made the choice to drop into the featherweight division and in the space of two years has become one of the division's best. In his first year with the UFC, Cerrone stepped into the octagon an astounding five times, picking up four performance bonuses along the way. Donald Cerrone is someone of a folk hero with MMA fans.
But we were in a tournament and I had him first so I had the favourite straight up.“And again, it was in a division I probably should have never been in. Alexander Volkanovski (in macedone: Александар Волкановски? During his rugby days, he apparently weighed more than 210 pounds — pretty incredible considering he hit the 145-pound mark at the UFC 232 weigh ins. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.Alexander Volkanvoski wants to be remembered as one of the greatest featherweight champions in UFC history, and he’s well on his way in his journey.The Australian defeated Max Holloway in convincing fashion last December to claim the world title and defends his belt against the same opponent this weekend at UFC 251.While much of the furore and excitement will undoubtedly focus on Jorge Masvidal’s dramatic addition to the card in the main event, the sequel between Despite standing almost half a foot shorter than the Hawaiian, Volkanovski utilised his explosive speed and devastating leg kicks to neutralise the champion’s lateral movement in the octagon.Showing no fear against a man who was unbeaten in 14 of his previous 15 fights, the 31-year-old wrenched the belt from Holloway in what was considered by many to be the biggest real upset on that night in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.But for those who watched the Aussie grow up in New South Wales, ‘Volka’ was just doing what he had done throughout his entire sporting career.The 5ft 6ins superstar was a former semi-pro forward in rugby league – a position reserved for far larger men – and was even considered one of the best in his area.“[His opposition was] three times bigger, and he was the best in the whole league,” said Hetet. Here's why. Fight to Win will hit a major milestone this weekend in Dallas for its 150th edition on August 21. If you wanted to have a fight, Alex would.”Although Volkanovski stands on the precipice of greatness in the 145lbs division, he was around 60 pounds heavier than this during his rugby career.After initially taking up MMA training to maintain fitness during pre-season, the former Greco-Roman wrestler began to fall in love with the sport again and revealed on the He said: “I had four amateur fights [when playing rugby] then went pro. Get the best MMA & Combat news straight to your inbox.The UFC is, big surprise, back at the Apex this week.
“These guys are heavyweights like Brock Lesnar.“Alex would just carry blokes. "Five-foot-five, five-foot-six if I'm lucky, and 97kg - as you can imagine I was pretty hard to tackle," he told the But while he's left it behind, his time in league has unwittingly helped him on his mixed martial arts journey. I'm used to them big boys there, and even now when I fight these featherweights I've always been used to wrestling and going against the bigger boys, so it's made me tough and even maybe confidence-wise it helps. Register with us and content you save will appear here so you can access them to read later. Alex began training in Greco-Roman wrestling at an early age and won a national title at the age of 12. The trilogy is upon us and you need the breakdown - Top Turtle has it for you. It’s nothing new to see someone about to crack into the top 15 take a shot at the champ, but few who do have the credentials of Herbert Burns. Because Alex was so short, he had to jump up to try to punch him in the head.“But Alex had no fear.