Ex-Betoner Volkanovski wants to consolidate UFC career

Alexander Volkanovski has described how courage and determination propelled his remarkable journey from working as a concrete worker in Wollongong to dominating the UFC.

Volkanovski will look to achieve greatness on Sunday when he challenges feared Russian grappler Islam Makhachev for his lightweight title in Perth.

Volkanovski, already the UFC featherweight champion (25 professional wins, 1 loss), wants to become the first Australian to hold two titles at the same time.

Only four other Octagon fighters managed the feat.

Volkanovski’s path to becoming the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound contender has been anything but conventional.

He began training in mixed martial arts in his early 20s to keep fit while playing in semi-professional rugby league and working as a concrete worker in his father’s shop.

As the front rower for the Warilla Gorillas, the 168 cm tall Volkanovski weighed in at 97 kg.

He would eventually drop 30+ kg to fight as a featherweight.

Volkanovski dominated the amateur ranks and quickly turned pro, but a UFC contract proved elusive.

In a 2017 article for Athletes Voice, Volkanovski recalled how he almost gave up on his dream after his wife Emma gave birth to their first daughter.

“Some people couldn’t see a future for me and asked Emma when I would give up on her,” he wrote.

“We were still living with my mother when this all happened. It was hard for all of us living in this small house with a baby.

“We thought we had to move out, but we didn’t have any money.”

Volkanovski’s dominant record soon proved impossible for the UFC to ignore, and the 34-year-old has won 12-0 since entering the Octagon.

“It’s an incredible journey,” he said this week.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been sporty – I’ve probably always been strong but that’s it. But look where I am right now with the right attitude, mentality and work ethic.”

“That’s why you see the confidence in myself … I know I have the heart to break free of any position.”

Makhachev (23-1) goes into the fight as a favorite with a fearsome reputation underscored by 11 of his victories by submission.

In his hometown of Dagestan, he was mentored by Khabib Nurmagomedov, an all-time great who notoriously fought a bear as a child.

Volkanovski refuses to be intimidated by his taller opponent, stating that he has the power to resist all takedown attempts.

But the soft-spoken Makhachev warned that he had a habit of disrupting his rivals’ best plans.

“All fighters say, ‘I’m going to defend this wrestling and if you put me down, I’m going to rise,'” he said.

“But when the battle happens and I defeat my opponent, they all feel my power and they all tap.”