MIAMI – Even though Alexander Volkanovski is fighting for UFC gold once again, he knows he’s in a tough spot. That’s why the former champ said he went “above and beyond” to prepare for UFC 314.
On April 12, Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) will fight in his 10th consecutive title fight. He faces Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) event at Kaseya Center for the vacant featherweight title.
Every UFC title opportunity is big, but Volkanovski enters this one on the heels of back-to-back title fight losses. He’s already considered to be one of the best featherweights in the promotion’s history, but some believe his best days are behind him.
“A lot of people are doubting me, but like usually, I’ll be a bit spiteful about it if that makes sense, but now I’m like going, ‘Yeah, I get why yous think that, but I’ma show yas,'” Volkanovski told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “So, I still have that something to prove, but I’m not angry about it, if that makes sense. It’s like yeah, I’m gonna prove it to myself and I’m gonna prove it to the world.”
In the past, Volkanovski said he would seek out things to motivate him. Getting angry about what others said was a way of pysching himself up for a fight. Now, the 36-year-old says he’s moved past that. This time around, he simply focused on putting in the work, not only in the gym, but at the table as well.
“This is the leanest I’ve ever been,” Volkanovski said. “I really wanted to get my percentage body fat to be honest, I think it would definitely be the lowest it’s ever been. It’s 16 weeks of just hard camp and real discipline. Didn’t have a drop of alcohol the whole 16 weeks, not even a cheat meal. So, I guess you could say I went above and beyond.
“The work ethic is always there for me, right? The intensity in training. Physcially, I’m always putting it in. You’re never going to top that becasue I’m always topping it. I can’t go any harder than what I do.”
While the physical grind has never been an issue Volkanovski said, he admits there was an elevated focus on his diet. Instead of following diet plans sporadically throughout training camp, this time he said he locked in the whole way through, and enjoyed showing off his leaned-out physique by rarely putting a shirt on during camp.
After a lenghty break by his standards, Volkanovski will return to action after 420 days away from the cage. After back-to-back stoppage losses, extended time off was important.
Now, “The Great” is eager to prove that he not only still has the skills to become champion again by defeating Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC), but also to overcome historical statistics and other curses that may not sit in his favor. Fighters entering title fights on back-to-back losses are 1-5 and have never captured an undisputed title. If he gets the job done, Volkanovski says it will be his greatest achievement yet.
“I’ve never been in this situation before,” Volkanovski said. “I’ve never come off such a big break. I’ve never come off two losses. So, it’s definitely the biggest fight of my career. Everyone’s gonna go, ‘Oh, yeah, you’ve done enough.’ But I haven’t. I can do a lot more and it starts this weekend.
“It’s starts on Saturday with this new title reign. When you talk about legacy, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. The comeback is going to be real. This is sh*t people write books about and movies about.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
