Alexander Volkanovski, born September 29, 1988, is an Australian MMA fighter.
He currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Featherweight division, where he is the current UFC Featherweight Champion.
He is also a former Featherweight champion of the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC).
Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer in 2015 before making his UFC debut.
He is currently ranked second in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of March 7, 2023.
Early life and Education
Alexander Volkanovski was born in Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia on September 29, 1988.
His father was born in the SR Macedonian village of Beranci (today North Macedonia), while his mother is from Greece.
Alex began wrestling at a young age and won a national title twice before the age of 12.
At the age of 14, he chose to give up wrestling and pursue a career as a front rower in rugby league.
Volkanovski was up in an athletic family and participated in sports as a child, including rugby, soccer, and Australian rules football.
At the age of 22, he began training in mixed martial arts (MMA) and rapidly found success in the sport.
Volkanovski’s educational background is unknown.
But he has stated in interviews that he worked as a concrete laborer and a jail guard before becoming a full-time professional fighter.
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Career
Alexander Volkanovski debuted in professional MMA in 2012 and immediately established himself on the regional Australian and Oceanic circuits.
Before joining the UFC in 2016, he had a record of 16 wins and 1 loss.
Volkanovski has been on an impressive winning streak in the featherweight class since joining the UFC.
He has defeated top-ranked fighters including Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, and Max Holloway.
Volkanovski defeated Holloway for the UFC featherweight championship by a majority decision in December 2019.
Volkanovski defeated his opponent by a split decision in a rematch in July 2020.
Alex has also received numerous honors and trophies throughout his career.
Including the 2019 MMA Fighting Featherweight Fighter of the Year and the 2020 World MMA Awards Fighter of the Year.
Volkanovski has only competed in one boxing match, which he won by unanimous decision in four rounds over Dillon Bargero.
Personal Life
Alexander Volkanovski is known for keeping his personal life quiet, hence there is little information available about him.
Volkanovski is married and has two daughters.
He appeared as a coach on Malaysia Invasion, an amateur MMA reality show.
He used the appellation “The Great” in homage to Alexander the Great, stating that he, too, had “a Macedonian father and a Greek mother.”
Volkanovski enjoys fishing and hunting in his spare time.
Volkanovski has faced health concerns in the past, including a blood illness that nearly ruined his UFC career in 2013.
