Volkanovski on his sixth featherweight UFC title defence against Ilia Topuria
Alexander Volkanovski (26-3, fighting out of Windang, New South Wales, Australia) looks to defend his title for the sixth time and hand Topuria his first career loss
UFC featherweight champion
No. 3 UFC men’s pound-for-pound fighter
Five successful title defenses
13 wins by knockout, three via submission
Seven first-round finishes
Alexander Volkanovski (26-3, fighting out of Windang, New South Wales, Australia) looks to defend his title for the sixth time and hand Topuria his first career loss
UFC featherweight champion
No. 3 UFC men’s pound-for-pound fighter
Five successful title defenses
13 wins by knockout, three via submission
Seven first-round finishes
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Alex right down here to your left. How are you? Good, how are you? Very good, very good.
00:05 Yeah you seem to just be in such a good place mentally going this week I know
00:09 there was you know a lot of questions last time but do you feel like that's
00:12 kind of a distant memory at this point? Oh yeah it is you know play on move on
00:16 you know what I mean it's a like you can't win them all you know I mean like
00:21 if I've got a job in front or a goal ahead that's it locked in focused on
00:24 that so completely forget about that I'm a realist man like I
00:28 understand the situation okay no worries move on you know I mean like it's not
00:33 like yeah you got caught Islam did a great job caught me you know what I mean
00:39 play on move on. Yeah right now you're one of four fighters in UFC history
00:44 who's made a successful title defense after a loss and now you could become
00:48 the only one to do it twice. Is that like a kind of show of the perseverance you
00:52 could have and you know the highs and the lows but what you can overcome
00:55 personally? Of course because that's a it's always a good story you know they're
00:59 there you know whenever there's movies and others got to be adversities you
01:02 know I mean and that's why this is the perfect fight coming off what happened
01:08 you know everyone see me I'm at my lowest now I get to bounce back and you know
01:12 fight this undefeated prospect that everyone thinks you know like me I'm 35
01:18 all this this you know these narratives beautiful it's perfect you know perfect
01:22 story and the hypes there he's doing a great job I just need to go out there be
01:27 the experienced guy that goes out there and shows him what's up you know what I
01:32 mean so it's a it's perfect for me so I just get to relax enjoy you enjoy fight
01:36 week and remind everyone. Have you ever had an opponent you know make you feel
01:41 this way I know you're kind of pretty even keel and stuff but he's been saying
01:44 a lot of stuff I'm sure it makes it easier to get out of bed every day and
01:47 train and things like that but has anyone kind of motivated you in this way
01:51 that he's approaching you? I don't know it's weird like it doesn't get under my
01:57 skin or anything like that at all it just like I said I'm sort of happy and
02:01 thankful I was like oh geez you know I mean like you could do do all that you
02:04 know build the hype say say what you want all I need to do is again be that
02:09 veteran be that experienced guy that goes out there and just shows you what's
02:11 up and then that's just the perfect ending to that story you know I mean and
02:15 he's doing a great job so I'm actually I'm like cheers bro like you know I mean
02:20 I enjoy it I really do so it doesn't get under my skin there's so many reasons
02:25 for me to be motivated as I've always said I'm disciplined I'm gonna turn up
02:29 in the gym if I've got a job or a goal ahead that's it I'm locked in but it was
02:34 easy coming off a loss you know people with this you know 35 year old thing or
02:40 like you know whatever it is like all these narratives I love it you know I
02:42 mean everyone knows I thrive in these moments when people doubt me it's the
02:46 best you mentioned motivations I want to know if this tweet from UFC 264 is a
02:51 motivation in this fight at all thought I'd bet a little money on Ryan Hall and
02:55 accidentally added an extra zero so we're winning big or losing big today
02:59 yeah I remember that actually so I didn't I think he might have replied
03:05 back then as well he was dirty that I didn't know who he was but I was like
03:08 chill out bro you know I mean like I know you know I think that's a he just
03:12 thought he was always a superstar I guess but it wasn't a it wasn't a harsh
03:16 dig at ya I'm the one who lost money my what you angry about do you remember how
03:21 much you put on that I wasn't too much anyway but I mean obviously an extra is
03:27 zero more than I wanted yeah for sure and just last thing for me you got
03:31 through him same question a couple or a few zeros and you got through Ilya
03:38 you're gonna get the same questions again who's left for Volk at 45 right
03:41 he's kind of done it all are you looking at other people out there you know Mo
03:45 Sar has anyone impressed you of late that you feel makes sense or is
03:49 lightweight kind of the goal again I mean it's just a yeah I guess what it
03:54 whatever is next is whatever is next I do want a clear guy you know it's a
03:58 after I take a Ely is zero I mean taking someone else's zeros yeah there might be
04:03 the trend after that we'll see but you know I'm confident take out anyone so
04:07 whoever it is you know bring it on but yeah it's not I guess it's not too
04:11 clear right now so we'll see we'll see what's next yeah and actually just one
04:14 more you talked last time at the media day about the EA cover curse it
04:17 obviously did go your way how do you feel that coming into that one do you
04:20 feel like it's still a thing that you need to overcome oh man I don't you know
04:25 I don't look at obviously all these things you know it's funny like I'll
04:28 play into them I'll like muck around with them and that but I look at the
04:33 facts and what really you know happens you know what I mean like you know I
04:36 don't think a UFC cover you know I'll probably look more at a 11 days notice
04:43 or preparation or something more than I would at a UFC cover you know I mean so
04:46 it's just it is what it is you know obviously it was that's why everyone
04:51 thought was a bad idea to start who wants to take on Islam on 11 days notice
04:54 I told myself I could do it and I was wrong Alex there are obviously lots of
05:00 times in your career that you've been considered the underdog but I don't know
05:02 if I've ever sensed the time before a fight maybe because of the loss where
05:05 everyone's really sort of saying oh this is the guy to dethrone Alex do you feel
05:09 like this is the most counted out you've been so far in your career?
05:13 As champion yeah yeah probably yeah I think so what about with the Max the
05:21 third one or probably not yeah this would probably be the most which is good
05:25 like I said like I don't like it doesn't get to me it's like it's building this
05:31 fight up because if I didn't go out there and do what happened in October
05:36 these conversations are much different believe me you know I mean you can say
05:40 what you want this is the guy this is the guy we'll see if you you know let's
05:45 let's post fight press conference yeah it's gonna be a totally different
05:51 conversation is it gonna be all of a sudden say man what are you gonna do it
05:55 featherweight there's nothing left for you look what you're doing to these guys
05:57 so that's how I'm looking at this fight again I'm prepared properly I'm ready
06:03 you know for a young hungry prospect to come and bring bring a fight but I won't
06:09 be surprised and you shouldn't be surprised if I make it look easy I'm not
06:12 saying that's exactly how it is I'm not cocky like that I prepared properly but
06:16 if he doesn't land a punch and I ragdoll him and make him look like nothing in
06:21 there you shouldn't be surprised and I guarantee you is even though this all
06:25 this talk post-fight press conference you just sit in there saying like I
06:29 didn't stand a chance and you're the tone is gonna be totally different but
06:33 I'm glad it's not because I want the hype so keep saying all that stuff you're
06:36 saying the right stuff anyway he was actually here a while ago and he was
06:41 breaking down your skills and he was saying that you know he's seen it before
06:44 you throw kicks you follow up punches and try and push into the cage and
06:46 that's all you have I don't know if you look at you're obviously considered a
06:50 very cerebral fighter who can break things down meticulously do you think
06:53 he is that or do you think he's almost a bit more raw and sort of brute strength
06:57 and it isn't actually that sort of as thought out as you well him just saying
07:01 that like he doesn't know the details like you know I mean then I know like I
07:06 know for a fact he does not understand the game like me so for him to just
07:10 think that I'm just kicking like you know it doesn't understand timing the
07:13 distance the you know it go there's so many different layers there like if you
07:18 don't understand that mate I'm gonna mop the floor with you this weekend so
07:23 hopefully that's just all talk otherwise it's gonna be a walk in the park for me
07:27 he he's one of these young guys right who has that sort of bravado and stuff
07:32 like that do you think that could potentially work against him right if
07:34 he's already calling himself champion do you think he could go in there almost
07:37 that's having thought he's done it before he's done it if you know what I
07:40 mean yeah look man he's probably just playing the game he's probably just
07:43 doing a great job good on him like I said I appreciate it but yeah I mean
07:48 like the the good thing he's hype he's doing all that like but it can bite you
07:52 in the ass mate like you know me like could you imagine what it's gonna be
07:54 like you know once I get my hand raised I'm wearing that belt like because you
08:01 know playing the whole superstar thing no one no top guys gonna you know just
08:07 all this sort of stuff and you go out there and mate if one's gonna completely
08:11 forget about you man you're gonna it's gonna hurt that's gonna hurt hurt him a
08:15 lot you know how does he bounce back from that yeah but I mean like I think
08:20 he's just shit playing the game he's probably clever he's smart like he's
08:23 just playing the game he probably preparing properly knowing that all
08:27 right I know I'm talking a lot this can go really good or can go really bad but
08:30 yeah I think he's just just playing the game well last one for me I saw you had
08:34 a truce with Henry Cejudo curious if it was fun to get back with him after some
08:38 of the things he said you said was it cool to put it well yeah I mean
08:41 obviously I had that conversation with you I'm just like if he did do that like
08:45 I still don't know like I'm easy go on guy you know I mean like but
08:51 um like I said for that to happen to do it on camera like you know that's why I
08:56 was just like as I said I was like man what the fuck but uh yeah he reckons it was a
09:01 prank after seeing some videos I was like I don't know but uh you know yeah anyway we'll see
09:10 what do you reckon his Eric went on the mmr and said it wasn't planned so what
09:16 was it planned the whole thing that was filmed he said he didn't know that was
09:19 gonna happen so like yes he wasn't there or camp and then he had a backlash
09:26 you know I just mean just don't do it in front of camera man like you you know I
09:29 mean you want to do it like if it's things I'm working out and then if you
09:34 did do it man just own it as well like you're sort of like I want to feel bad
09:38 because he obviously regrets it but um yeah anyway look back here last time at
09:47 featherweight the storyline against a Rodriguez was we'll be able to deal with
09:51 guy years unorthodox style and you know question mark eggs all that so now it's
09:56 the challenge of a young and hungry undefeated contender in Ilia to Porya so
10:00 where do you rank Ilia to Porya amongst all the guys you've said so other than
10:03 that what what should I be with like at least we've you know when you were
10:07 saying this with your yield rig is you were saying the kicks the diversity in
10:13 the kicks the you know the unorthodox style like all these weapons you could
10:18 literally point out all these danger factors because he's shown you that now
10:22 people are just trying to throw up random numbers so like a I don't know
10:28 you know I mean like it's it's it's just funny is like people gonna be like oh I
10:32 need to look at oh he's undefeated you know what I mean like you know what what
10:37 what's a big threat maybe he's boxing people can say box should I be worried
10:40 about just a just a boxing style you know and you could probably see my face
10:48 I ain't worried you know what I mean like again everyone has a punch's chance
10:50 and I'm always aware of that I think the only way I ever lose in this division is
10:57 someone catching me you know what I mean you know it's again it's wrong to say
11:01 lucky punch but someone catching me I think that's the only way anyone ever
11:04 beats me and and that's the case with this one you know what I mean like he
11:09 ain't showing me things that are other than some good hands that I need to be
11:13 worried about you know what I mean but obviously you worry about because again
11:16 you've got the punches chance but for me you know like I said like you know
11:21 pretty much every single time we fight I make this look easy for sure and so you
11:26 think so for the people that are counting you know it's maybe because of
11:29 the way the last Islam fight went rather than purely based on Ilya's skill
11:33 well that's what I mean everyone's uh you know people keep saying like well
11:37 this is the guy but then they keep the the facts that they're going off is me
11:41 coming off a loss or this guy's undefeated and they're doing this not
11:45 you know maybe some people might touch on the boxing but you know if you think
11:49 just a boxer boxing style is gonna be a big threat to me then maybe we don't
11:54 know enough look he's got some good counters he's very well based he's
11:57 powerful I mean the power is it definitely a danger factor there but I
12:01 mean you need to land these shots I mean like you know look at your
12:06 Riggs like how much you know think of how many times he lands on people it's
12:09 not easy to land when I'm aware and I'm I know what's going on you know I'm not
12:13 all in completely clean obviously the last one but it's just yeah like I said
12:21 it's a I'm not saying he's not skillful but he hasn't proved nothing yet he's
12:25 gonna have to try and prove something for people to really believe this hype
12:29 is real but I mean that hype is there build up the fight I'm glad but there's
12:34 a good chance all that hype goes away real quickly
12:40 that me bless you um fair enough and so when you were promoting the hashtag
12:46 sign Volkanovski campaign back in 2016 did you ever envision that you'd be
12:51 sitting here talking to us about to go defend your title for the sixth time I'm
12:55 off picture myself in the in the UFC and all that maybe not a talking that press
12:59 conferences and that but I always picture myself even before I was even in
13:02 the UFC I was sorry even doing MMA I pictured myself in the octagon because I
13:06 was a big fan of the sport of my hurricane I could do it I wasn't even
13:09 training at the time so it was something that I always wanted to do I started
13:12 training and then you know it started being real where I was like you know the
13:17 pretty much number one guy in Australia that wasn't signed you know world
13:21 champion things were going really well I was like hurry up get me in there like I
13:25 just wanted look my first few fights in the in the actual UFC way less pressure
13:32 than the fights before I got in the UFC because I know that if I was to lose
13:35 before I got in the UFC that's a few steps back I need a few more wins before
13:38 I even get in there I knew once I was in the UFC that I knew I was ready so like
13:43 I was like you know I'm like at least I'm there like I know I'm in there and I
13:46 know I could beat most of these guys yes you know there's obviously a chance of
13:49 losing but I know I'll get a second chance and there's no way I'm losing
13:53 twice in a row you know what I mean like so that's that was how I was looking at
13:56 it and but yeah but it's it's crazy it is crazy when you you know you think of
14:01 that and then obviously it's weak as it seems so long ago but it just seems like
14:06 not too long ago at the same time I don't know how that how that works it
14:09 seems like oh sorry doesn't seem that long ago but it seems like a whole
14:12 lifetime ago so it's like a different life or almost it's weird
14:16 awesome and final one for me you accomplished a lot in this sport already
14:21 so my question is before you do end up calling it whenever you do what what are
14:26 your final goals in this game is it to finally hoist that lightweight crown one
14:29 day or fight a specific location or fight somebody one day before you call
14:33 it I mean yeah there's this plane obviously holding that that second belt
14:36 would be great you got you know Madison Square Garden you've got yeah there's a
14:40 few things just keep the defendant keep keep winning keep making money and keep
14:44 you know building that legacy for myself but my for my family as well you know I
14:48 mean so I want to be great that's why I commit to this sport because it's at the
14:53 end of day it's all for my for my family you know I mean and that's all that
14:56 that's what that matters I put myself through it just so I can get them
15:00 paychecks and make sure you know we're set for life thank you
15:07 so Alex you know between Holloway three times and yeah year and Ortega and Islam
15:13 a couple of times which fight in your career do you feel like gave you the
15:18 most confidence and growth that you could keep taking forward in your career
15:25 I feel like definitely hit a I mean there's a few different ones you had your
15:31 Chad Mendes that was a like oh yeah the first like a legend of the sport like
15:37 rule contender then you had obviously Ortega where a lot mentally changed
15:43 confidence wise and that that's when I like even inside in outside the octagon
15:47 a lot happened after that so that one and then Max the third one obviously
15:52 going out there and knowing that I had to deal with you know some doubters and
15:56 people that were always gonna say stuff it's like I need to close that chapter
15:59 you know what I mean so it was good good after that one as well then I could like
16:03 feel like I could move on so yeah so there's there's a couple there
16:10 well I think a lot of the fans just can't stop watching your ad about making
16:16 fun of being old first off great acting secondly can you talk to us the director
16:21 the writers who brought up all those ideas is just beautifully executed yes
16:24 that was a sports bet idea like obviously they mentioned oh you know
16:29 would you be interested like you're doing on my mate great like let's do it
16:32 that's gonna be unreal and they come up with a lot of it but my one take bulk
16:38 man I'm telling you what it takes and we finished up three hours early did it all
16:41 in a in a few hours acting was on point so there might be something there do you
16:48 have a joy to actually I love it I absolutely love it did you have one of
16:52 the favorite clips or moments from that commercial personally which one like
16:58 there's it was a lot of it was gold really which one was fun I don't know
17:05 yeah the the taxation office one maybe that was fun
17:10 final question slightly more personal you know after the your last fight you
17:14 talked about dealing with those emotions and those nerves and everything else I'm
17:18 wondering in the month since and since you talked about it just some things you
17:23 may be able to share about how you have you know learned to handle some of those
17:26 emotions in between fights yeah man I've always I've always dealt with it very
17:35 good like I've always been yeah like I've always been self-aware you know I
17:40 mean very self-aware like I understand how I what makes me tick I understand
17:45 all that so it's weird because obviously I did touch on in between fights you
17:50 know it it gets hard I said that you do get uneasy but I deal with it very well
17:54 I find ways whether it's a you know you know in the gym learning or teaching or
17:59 whatever it is that makes me tick and I can tick them boxes as long as I'm
18:02 evolving but there was just a just the pressure of obviously it's trying to be
18:08 a good dad sleepless nights with the newborn coming off surgery so the
18:11 pressure just got to me and I was just wasn't dealing with things as well as I
18:14 usually would and then people just see me after I got knocked out which I'm
18:18 glad people still saw that because it is something that I want people to you know
18:23 take serious and understand so I'm glad people get to see me and they get to see
18:27 how I am now and how what's gonna happen is the bounce back they get to see that
18:31 but I'm all good you know I mean I'm very very good when it comes to that
18:35 some usually I'm you know I'm a rock I'm the rock of my household there's just a
18:39 time where I just I just wasn't you know what I mean and you know when things when
18:43 there's that little bit of extra pressure that all at once it can get to
18:47 you and it can get to anyone trust me the people that reached out you'd be
18:50 surprised or probably not even surprised because everyone gets uneasy here in
18:54 there you know what I mean but it's just usually you don't have a camera in your
18:57 face after you got knocked out while you're there.
19:02 Thank you very much.
19:04 Hi Volk, I'd like to know what kind of work was put in your mental aspect of the preparation after going through the experience of a knockout.
19:26 What do you do to actually remove any doubt within your mind that that's not gonna happen again?
19:31 I'm very calculated like I understand what went wrong and play on move forward
19:38 like I don't look at that as being like anything other than you know how I look
19:45 at that situation so it was very easy for me to move on like it you know it
19:48 wasn't like he was just telling me up everywhere and all this and you know it
19:54 was just that's just how it went I'm all good with it you know what I mean and
19:58 you know I know how I felt in there and so I so I understand that so it's easy
20:05 for me to move on so I don't want to you know like it no matter how you talk
20:09 about this everyone's just gonna say excuses and stuff like that but like I
20:12 did just didn't feel right in there couldn't let the hands go and paid
20:16 ultimate price for it you know and that's what preparation is key and like
20:19 we all know that I've always been a big believer in that I told myself I could
20:24 do it because that's just how my mindset mentality is you know what I mean I
20:28 thought I'd be more dangerous I thought I'd let the hands go I knew I couldn't
20:31 go decision I'm like I'm gonna get this guy like this can be the most dangerous
20:34 I've ever been and yet I couldn't even throw a punch that's that's how I felt in
20:37 there so again it's a and again I don't want to sound like I'm taking anything
20:44 away because I'm not he he felt that like I was maybe biting on these he felt
20:49 my guard was down so he still did a great job to capitalize on that so full
20:52 credit to Islam but for me in that question for me moving on is very easy
20:56 because I understand that situation I'm okay very self-aware as I told you play
21:01 on move on make sure we followed the protocols like we did and move on move
21:05 forward and then camp just felt exactly like how every other one I've wanted I
21:09 didn't look at that at all really to be honest it's I don't know maybe it's just
21:12 how my head works but it's it was great
21:18 look at you when I say I saw it
21:21 Otra pregunta tenía es en caso de que Ilya Topuria ganara la pelea si te
21:28 gustaría pedir una revancha inmediata y si eso podría darse incluso en UFC en
21:33 España que es lo que Ilya estaba pidiendo en caso de que él ganara este
21:37 tinturón poder defenderlo en en España
21:44 that Ilya actually wins the fight would you go for and ask for a rematch
21:49 immediately and would that be possible in Spain because it's something that
21:53 Ilya has been talked about you know I would like to actually be able to win a
21:57 championship actually defend that in Spain would you be interested first in a
22:00 rematch and doing it in Spain as he mentioned yeah of course yes sweet but
22:03 I'm gonna go out there win and I'll headline Spain how about that I'll go
22:09 there and I'll headline Spain and you know what I think they're struggling
22:12 still maybe you I don't know it seems like they could be I don't know whoever
22:15 they are with UFC 300 I know a guy you know I mean it's not too there's plenty
22:21 plenty of time so just so you know that just in case there's anything happening
22:25 Dana Hunter you know I'm gonna go do business ruin someone's party or a few
22:31 people's party and then I can come save the day like I always do okay thank you
22:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]