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To have an event here, I feel like I deserve it.
You have to at least, you know, defend a belt or fight for a title in front of a home crowd,
but the fans deserved it. I have to say, I mean, I've been to lots of boxing events around the
world. This is my first UFC event. And I have to say, it's probably the most exciting event
that I've ever been to in my life. Oh my goodness, hang a fist. Oh my God. Oh my God.
He won, he won. Alexander the Great, Volkanovski. Undisputed featherweight champion of the world.
The lights are dimming. What do I do next? There was never an option to tap. And then his arm started
to tire. The light started coming back and I'm like, he's done. That bit of footage is going to
go down as one of the greatest escapes of all time. Some people break. Some people don't.
I'm looking forward to the rematch. Alexander the Great, Volkanovski. Welcome to the podcast,
mate. Welcome to Straight Talk. Yeah, let's do it, mate. Thanks for having me again.
Oh man, we haven't done this for a couple of years. Last time, I don't think you were,
you weren't the world title holder and you were sort of hanging out to become the world title
holder, but you were on your way. I had never any doubt, mate. Never any doubt.
Never any doubt. No, no, I'm serious. I mean, I was there. It was very exciting. And it was like,
like an incredible atmosphere in RAC arena. Did you get the vibe every time you were able to get
out of one of these lambs?
Yeah, yeah, I did, man. I felt the whole week, I felt it. But even in there and you even see me,
a lot of the things I was doing, you know, you'll see me like obviously doing the shuckers and that
after I got out of submissions and, and things like that. And just sort of trying to talk to
him, let him know, it's like, hey, you ain't breaking me. And for the crowd, right? Worked
the crowd because I knew- You were working the crowd.
Yeah, yeah. So like a lot of times I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll,
I'll be there and then like do stuff like that. Like, don't worry, you know, to the crowd,
they're obviously here to support me. So I was letting them know, it's like, we're good,
don't worry. You know, and things like that. So I was throwing out a few things like that,
cause I was feeling them, you know what I mean? That was definitely helping me. Cause I'm the
type of guy that right now, like I can be not emotional, I wouldn't say emotional,
but I can use the crowd, get all the, all the emotions. You know, I can be sort of,
what's the word I'm looking at? Like the adrenaline can go and I can still be very composed.
You know, I never used to be like that. I felt like I used to have to try and calm myself down
so I can be composed, work to a game plan. And I started realizing over for experience,
obviously, that I work so much better with that. So I was, I couldn't wait to go out there and
fight in front of the, you know, the Aussie fans. Cause I knew that, you know, it's easy. I didn't
have to look for something to fire me up cause I knew the crowd would. And that's exactly what
happened. Well, they did fire, they fired me up. That's for sure. I mean, it was actually so hectic.
I couldn't even get a video of you actually when the fight was on. I got your stuff when you first
came into the same, it was really hard. Like, cause everybody was standing up in front of me
the whole time and we had great seats. To me, I have to say, I mean, I've been to lots of boxing
events around the world. This is my first UFC event. Physically, I've been to watch every,
I watch all the fights, but it's the first one. And I have to say, it's probably the most exciting
event that I've ever been to in my life, including state of origin, everything. It was just
unbelievable. And to see, we had a number of Aussies fighting there and, and I'm, you know,
I'm a Nike fan too. Like he was awesome. I just thought to myself, these guys, Alex,
the whole, the whole lot of you must have been so proud to put on such a great event
for Australia to engage in. And how do you feel about that? I mean, how do you feel about your
position relative to, let's call it your fans, but all those people look up to you. Do you feel
any pressure from that or do you just enjoy it? Love it. Yeah, I wouldn't say pressure. I do,
I do enjoy it. I just wanted to give back too, you know what I mean? I feel like a,
the Aussie fans here, cause they've, they haven't had an event here for a while. We've had to,
not only, even the athletes, we had to compete over in the States or over overseas for, for how
long to have an event here. Not only I felt like the fighters deserved, I felt like I deserved to
at least, you know, defend a belt or fight for a title in front of a home crowd, but the fans
deserved it, deserved, you know, a heap of Aussies putting on a show for them. And that's exactly
what happened. You know, everyone did put a show on, as you said, the event, the atmosphere was
incredible from start to finish. They were there early. That's the, the fans, they were there early.
And like, usually you go to events, especially when you're in, uh, overseas, like in Vegas and
that, like the arena won't be full till the last couple of fights. Like it was pretty much full
from the get-go, you know what I mean? And that's, uh, which is unreal. And that just shows you that
they're, they're there to support the fighters, Aussie fighters, but not just that, uh, they,
they love the sport and it's, uh, you know, it's, you know, and they were all keen, obviously keen
cause it's been so long and let's make the most of this. Let's talk about Alexander Volkanovski's
So how far out from the fight do you start doing a fair dinkum prep? I mean, you're always training,
I get it. You're always training, but when's your full on preparation start? We took 12 weeks,
three, four months. What are we talking about? So we'll have real structure around, uh, preparation
about eight weeks, usually for, for a camp, like for a specific fighter and things like that. For
this one, we start early. As soon as I found out that, yeah, this was probably happening after,
Abu Dhabi when I went over there and, you know, I had to go in the cage and, you know, do the face
off and all that. And I was like, yeah, exactly. So I was like, this is going to have to, did you
know it was going to happen? I did not know that was, uh, not, uh, a lot of people like, ah, yeah,
that was a set up and all that. It wasn't. So I was, uh, before going into that fight here, I'm
going off tangent now, but before that, I originally thought, I think I'd rather Charles
Oliveira winning because I know I'd fight him soon. I didn't think, uh, Islam would, I thought
he would, uh, probably hold the belt for a while and wouldn't be able to fight for a while. So I was
thinking, even though I might have to fight him in Brazil, at least it'll be soon. I wouldn't have
to wait and things like that. And then that happened, he won. And then they called me out
and wanted to fight in Australia. I'm just like, how good is this? You know what I mean? I just
worked out perfect. I couldn't go, I couldn't have went any better. So I was, uh, straight away.
As soon as that happened afterwards, I was like, you know, talk to my manager, talk to my team.
I'm like, let's get into it. I want to bring wrestlers in. I want to do that. Cause I knew
that I had to, I had to level up in some, in some, uh, places, you know what I mean? So preparation,
we probably did about,
16 weeks to be honest, which I've never, never had real structure that far out. Obviously
it was more specific to wrestling and grappling and bringing bodies in and all that. And then
the strength program, uh, and things like that. So like the, the bulking phase and just eating
like, you know, 4,000, 5,000 calories a day and things like that. So all that was for that first
block, which would have been a, a good six, seven weeks of that. And then we got into our sort of
normal, uh, sort of structured camp that we usually do.
Where it's more about getting you ready for the fight. So it was in conditioning and all
that type of stuff. So it was a long camp.
Alex Volkanovsky, obviously you're still the reigning featherweight UFC champion. Um, and
featherweight is what weight in UFC, in MMA?
So that's a 65.8. Featherweight is 65.8 kilograms.
Right. So, which is different to boxing. So it's like nearly 10 kilos heavier, just under
66 kilos. Um, you normally walk around what weight?
I would usually walk around probably 76, 77 max is what I've been the last maybe couple of years.
I used to be a bit heavier from, you know, cause I used to be a lot heavier.
Yes, exactly. So bringing that weight down, like I would always fluctuate a bit more and then the
fluctuation would just get lower and lower and lower as the years went by. And, uh, so I was
about 76 would be what I'd walk around most, most of the year.
Right. And if you're going to fight at 66 kilos or you're going to weigh in at 66 kilos,
rarely would you end up fighting it that way, but you're going to weigh in at 66 kilos.
What do you do to get down to, from, you know, you're walking around weight to 66 kilos without
cutting too much muscle, for example, cause you need your strength.
Yeah, exactly. So that's, uh, that's where you get nutritionists on board. Like, you know,
I'm lucky enough to have, uh, Jordan on there, the fight dietitian where
a lot of people are so worried about getting the weight off that preparation, you know, they start,
you know, taken away from their training, you know, their takeaway energy, like where they
should be using in the, in the gym. So you need to find that perfect balance. And, um, I'm lucky
enough to have, uh, someone like Jordan on there. So, you know, I'm lucky enough to have, uh, someone
like Jordan on there. So, you know, I'm lucky enough to have, uh, someone like Jordan on there. So,
him on board where, yeah, I'm eating like from what I used to do to get down to that weight to
now is just, you know, I'm eating so much more than I'd usually be, but it's just, you know,
obviously the structure around it, when you eat, what you're eating, um, you know, obviously with
the carbs, you need the carbs for the energy and all that, where I used to sort of starve myself
off carbs thinking I need to get the weight down. As soon as he was on board, I ate more carbs than
ever. Uh, just things like that. So the, you do got to still be pretty strict with what you're
going to, but I mean, I'll do that probably from the eight weeks as well. Uh, obviously it starts
off a lot more calories and then you'll slowly bring that down. So it's probably the last three
weeks where you'll really start to try and bring that weight down, but again, still have the right
enough, the right amount of energy to get you through the sessions as well. So it's, it's
actually a game changer having someone like that. Cause I could tell you the things that I used to
eat to now, like in a train, like I used to make, I used to make soups cause I would put like, try
and take away the soup. I used to make soups because I would put like, try and take away the
soup. I used to make soups because I would put like, try and take away the soup. I used to make soups
and all that, no carbs. And I'll fill up on fluids, so water. So I'll think that if I'll make
a soup, you know, I'll put a bit of chicken in there and things like that. That's what I'd fill
up on, like, you know, just fluids. So, uh, things like that, just so I could get the weight down and
all that. And that's when you start having big problems. You start getting sick and all that
type of stuff where ever since I, you know, had someone on board, the process has been so much
easier, but there's still weight to get down. So, you know, as you said, I'll walk around 76, 77
and I've got to get down to 65.
5.8 or six, just under 66. And, uh, I'll probably do, I'll get to about 74, 73 a week out. So I've
got to do about seven, you know, six, seven kilograms in that week.
Which is a bit of a taste of what you do. So we talk about the water load and the unload salt.
Give us a bit of a look at that.
Well, that's five weeks. That's when the five week, once all the hard training is done,
we do our last session and then we pretty much start water loading, which is just drinking a lot
of water to flush out some of them nutrients. You're going to start, uh, pulling back on your,
your carbs and your sodiums, especially the last few days, you end up going to no sodiums, no carbs.
And that's just to flush out all the minerals and the salts and things that really just start
depleting of water. And I'll lose probably a kilo a day through that process. I go close to,
um, it's, uh, yeah, it's pretty crazy. Like the, the science behind it. But, uh, yeah,
so you're, you're pretty much go from eating a fair bit to you have to pull it back. But
when you've got the right guys, you've got to pull it back. And then you've got to pull it back.
Like, you know, they make sure they're even getting your meals. They look good. They,
they try and make it bigger. They'll cut them up in smaller pieces. So there's more pieces. So
it's better for the eyes and little things. So they're, they've got their little tricks to
really, really get you through a fight week, which, uh, definitely helps.
Most people haven't been through a weight cut like that, but when you're eating measured amounts
of food, particularly when it's being brought in, like, you know, you might buy from one of the
pre-prepared meal organizations, um, it gets pretty boring and you know, you've got to eat.
And it sort of becomes a bit of a chore.
And, uh, so I noticed you had a chef, um, over in Perth.
There was a dude because the, the fight dietitian, which is, uh, Jordan Sullivan, he kept putting
up posts of the chef dude up there and he would look like he's trying to make everything
really interesting for you. Not only just you, the whole team, I'd say.
That whoever Jordy was looking after.
Um, it sounds a bit silly, but how important is it for you to actually enjoy your meal?
Because you love your food.
I love my food. Yeah, I do love my food. It's funny. Obviously I do love my food, especially
at that point, you're going to want food.
Food, right? Because you, you, you obviously got to hold back on a lot. But that bulking
phase that I did, that really, I went from being like a foodie, I'm a proper foodie to
like, all right, I'm like, you know, a bit over food because I would just have to force
feed myself for so long. So it was funny, uh, like I ended up having like a bit of a
mental block, but as soon as fight week come, uh, by, I was like, all right, yeah, now I
want some food again. You know what I mean? And it really does get you food because they
were, they were putting like all, obviously I was fighting for the title. So not only
they, they were doing like all the food.
All these fancy looking foods and all that, and trying to make all different flavors just
to really, obviously it can't be salt. So it's a lot of seasoning, you know, salty,
you know, you want, I love myself. I love myself. Exactly. Right. Exactly. Right. So
that's, uh, something they, they got to take that right out. So they're trying to get all
different flavors and, and things like that, but they'll even getting all these little,
uh, gold, um, pieces to put in there just to remind me is like, you know, they'll even
make sure there was two pieces of gold on there. Just be like, you go for two belts
and just a little messages like that.
Again, they went above and beyond because of the magnitude of this, this fight. I really
do believe they did that. They had a good crew. They had, um, Athletes Nutrition as
well. So Paul, uh, Ebsey from Athletes Nutrition, who was helping with the meals, he does all
my meals in camp as well. Um, but then they had chef Mario doing, doing a heap cause they
had like eight fighters or so maybe more, uh, through the week, but yeah, they, they
went all out, you know, they even had, uh, they put land down under on for, I think it
might've been my last meal. I can't remember, but they ended up having all the Australian
flags and all the things like that.
And the gold pieces and things just, uh, remind me what we're fighting for.
Now you have a good team, a great team. Obviously Joe's, Joe Lopez is like, is your main trainer
of Freestyling MMA down there in Winding. Joe's become a bit of a legend, that's for
sure. Um, but he's been everywhere with you and you've been there with him forever. Um,
and you bring in lots of blokes to train with. What was special about this particular camp?
Who did you bring in to train with to make sure that you got the grapple right, the wrestle
Yeah, that's, uh, well, that's where it was key, right? So again, I started,
this camp 16 weeks out and that was to bring in guys like Craig Jones, who's like one of
the best grapplers in the world. Uh, my wrestling coach, uh, Frank Hickman from the Hickman
Bros Wrestling over there, Bang Tao, uh, MMA. Uh, so I bring them into, again, just while
I'm doing that, that strength block and, and, uh, bulking block, just focus on wrestling.
So wrestling and grappling and all that type of stuff. Cause when I get in camp, that eight
week mark that I told you about, that's very fight specific, but I wanted to have a really
So I went into that last eight weeks. So it was just, you know, obviously still doing
a bit of standup, but the main, main focus was grappling and, uh, wrestling. So yeah,
again, uh, Craig Jones, one of the, yeah, one of the best grapplers in the world. He's
like 90 kilograms.
He's an Aussie guy?
He's an Aussie guy that lives over there in, in America. And, uh, yeah, he's, uh, travels
the world doing massive seminars. Very, very well known in the jujitsu, in the jujitsu
world. And, um, he's obviously a bit of a larrikin too, a bit of a funny dude and like,
you know, he's a prankster.
So, uh, he, he, uh, does well in our, in our group as well, but having someone like that,
not only to train with you, like, uh, to be there as a, as a body to, to put me in bad
positions. Cause again, he's much bigger than me and a much better grappler than, than Islam.
So I've always obviously got to get used to that type of standard. Uh, and then the knowledge
behind it as well, practicing these things that we felt he's strong at Islam was good
at and, uh, focused a bit on that. Like he even put himself in Islam shoes and played
He played Islam game for a while before he even came over to the gym, just little things
like that, that, that definitely helped. And then Frank Hickman, again, we all studying
the, uh, our gyms, uh, and our team's known for, for studying fights and, you know, making
sure we've got the knowledge and doing what we need to do to, to sort of counter all that
type of stuff. So, you know, we, we looked into it. Frank Hickman did a great job. He's
a good body to move around with as well. Just having guys like that was, was incredible.
So they were there the most, most of the time, like, uh, through, through camp, we ended
They were there on the night as well. They were in the corner as well. They were in the
corner as well. And, uh, we ended up bringing like judo guys in like a couple of different
looks. We even bring in a Sambo guy, um, to, to come in just to give us that look. Cause
we would just wanted to get as many, as many looks as we can. There's a funny story to
that, that Sambo. I don't know if I want to get involved.
Tell it, tell it. Yeah, come on.
Well, he, uh, yeah, so we want to get here. I think he's a meddled somewhere in, uh, in
Eastern block, Eastern European block, uh, meddled in the Sambo worlds or something like
that. So we're like, oh yeah, that'd be good. Get, get a little feel, you know? And then,
uh, they hit him up and then he was like, oh no, he's going to need it. You know, all
these guys do his, uh, eat, sleep and pray. And like, you know, as in, I've got no chance,
like, you know what I mean? Like he's saying that. So already I'm like, you know, who is
this guy? But anyway, we need that. We need to look, we'll see how it goes. And then going
through that whole process of trying to get him in, he was just, yeah, wanted crazy amounts
of money. He was like, well, let us see. Let us see. Let us see. Let us see. Let us see.
Let us see if you're worth it first, you know, but it was just the way he was being
away. I wasn't very happy with, uh, the way that process was. So I was like, all right,
well, let's just bring him in anyway. Um, if he's good, all right, we will keep him
in. If not, like, even though I've got to pay him just to be there, even though I don't
know, at least I'm paying him just to show him that, yeah, maybe we don't need you, mate.
You know what I mean? Like, you know, who do you think you are type thing? Cause again,
I'm not usually like that. I don't, I'm not, but just the way he went about it just fired
me up a little bit. Uh, so, uh, he ended up coming in and then, yeah.
Yeah. It didn't end up well for him anyway. Like obviously it was just grappling, just
grappling and wrestling. I'm usually pretty, pretty gentle and all that, but yeah, I didn't
go as gentle as I would. So he sorted it pretty quick. Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So
and then, uh, yeah. So then, uh, we ended up going with a few of the guys that we had
there as well. And then, you know, everyone just, just showed him why we didn't need him
anyway. So I'll leave it at that. So sorry to break, you know, he's probably like, you
know, he's probably sitting there going like, Oh man, I didn't say that. I didn't say that.
Well, you know, we've, we've seen the messages. It was pretty funny. In terms of grappling,
grappling team. Someone like Craig Jones, who, you know, he's like a bit of, got a bit
of a myth associated, mythology associated with him. He's nearly like, I mean, you, you're
Alexander the Great in Volkanovski. Like that's, you know, Alexander the Great has mythology
associated with it. The original Alexander the Great, I'm talking about the guy from
350 BC, whenever it was. Um, as does, um, Craig Jones to some extent, like it follows
him around the world. Mm-hmm.
People talk about Islam being a great grappler. They don't realize how much better someone
like Craig Jones is, relatively speaking.
Can you just sort of explain that? It's like he was, was he taught by John Danaher? What's
Yeah, well, well, that's the, that's the thing when the people, people will forget that.
Don't get me wrong. Islam's a great grappler, great wrestler, you know, and he's, uh, yeah,
he's very good at what he does. But I mean, uh, then you're going to compare to these
guys that all they do 24 seven, like, you know what I mean? There's a, that's all they
focus on is, is jujitsu against some of the best jiu-jitsu.
Jiu-jitsu guys in the world. And that's, you know, that's, uh, Craig Jones and all
these, uh, guys. He was under Danaher as well. He was actually originally absolute MMA down
in Melbourne. Uh, they got, jujitsu is very big in Melbourne as well. So they had a big
school that he was doing very well. And I think he lost to, um, Gordon Ryan.
And then I think he went over there and ended up joining the, joining the team, like, uh,
what are they called? Danaher Death Squad, I think they're called.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's it. Yeah. So he went over there and, uh, obviously just, they've got very, very
high level of grappling and, and a lot of good guys over there. So he started training
with them and then, uh, I think there was a falling out and all that. Then a few of
them end up going to the B team they're called.
They're called the B team, which is a funny story around that. Like, obviously he's known
for always coming second to, to Gordon Ryan. So now he's always like going, oh yeah, I
can't wait to get my silver medal and stuff like that. Like he just, he just plays on
that. It's pretty funny. Again, he's a prankster, he's a joker. So, um.
It does. It does. Cause that's how we are. We got, you know, we got banter all the time.
If you see us, uh.
Fight week. Like we're just all, uh, you know, taking the piss, having a good laugh
and, you know, having fun. Obviously it's still going to be serious moments, but the
whole time we're, you know, there's banter. There's definitely a heap of banter and some
people break, some people don't, but we all have a good laugh.
And you used to, I remember years ago, you told me you used to go off to, um, City Kickbox
in Auckland, um, as part of your camp before you, you, before you prepare for a shot. And
then of course we had COVID and you couldn't go there.
I'm pretty sure I saw you using Barrowman in your corner.
Did you do some training with him before, before the, uh, event?
Oh, so like, uh, we did our whole camp at Freestyle, uh, here, local, locally at Wingdang
there, Freestyle MMA. But, uh, obviously we always, uh, talking to them. We're all,
we're all one big team anyway. So he was always going to be in the corner. We even bring
Brad Riddell, who's from City Kickbox and that as well. And just, uh, just staying in
touch, but we wanted to bring everyone to us just so we can have, uh, that focus around,
uh, our camp and my camp, uh, and bringing the guys and doing a lot of specifics just
for me. So, which is sometimes it's good. It's always good to go to, to a big gym, like
a City Kickbox big gym with a lot of good fighters and obviously a lot of good knowledge.
Uh, but they're, they're a big team as well. There's a lot, lot there that you're, and
there's a lot of fighters that need to need, you know, need to be focused on and things
like that, where this one, we wanted to not spend so much time on doing classes.
And so as we moved on, I think you mentioned the last sort of, uh, sessions, it was more
just, uh, very specific sort of sessions, uh, for me. So that was with your, you know,
having a Craig Jones focus on things, having a Frank Hickman focus on the things and then
doing your pads and your sparring and me, like a lot of our, our, our sort of our sessions
that we do were just focused specifically for, for me, Islam and that fight where, you
know, it was like no wasted seconds or doing anything else really.
I noticed one of the things when you're, when you're standing up, when you're on your feet,
and you're great on distance, judging, judging distance.
Now, relative size, like when you fought Holloway,
all of them, they're always tall,
a lot of them would have longer reach than you.
Has that been something you have specifically built up
as part of your game plan, I know my distance?
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
It's a range that we're comfortable at,
where a lot of people aren't comfortable at.
Some people deal with that differently, you know,
and trying to find me can usually be hard
or a lot of times they feel like, yeah, they're safe
and while I'm mixing things up in my movement and all that
and just, you know, camouflaging when I do come in
and when I do commit to shots and things like that,
people find that very hard.
It was funny for this one, I don't know if you wanted to get into this one.
Yeah, I do, yeah, I do.
So with him, obviously, we wanted that movement and all that,
but with Islam, he's a very patient counter fighter
and he stays back.
So he's happy, like he's got actually a good distance as well,
but he's very defensive and he'll sit back.
So it was a tricky one for me where I knew he was going to do that
but I didn't want to do that.
But it's either I just play a game and then we both play that sort of game
and I just like try and touch him whenever I can and all that
and play it a bit more safe.
I've got to be careful because I'm not capitalizing on the feet.
What if he gets a take and I'm losing rounds because of that?
You know what I mean?
Like I had to do that.
I'm not going to tire him out.
It's not going to be entertaining.
Remember, this is, you know, you want to keep it fun,
but not just that.
Winning is very important, but I felt like we want to break him,
we want to tire him and all that type of stuff.
So me sitting back and both playing at this sort of a range
where, you know, we've been two,
we've been cautious of when we want to commit and go in.
Yeah, it wouldn't be the fight that I felt was going to be enough to win
or be entertaining and things like that as well.
So again, he's really good at impatient.
So he wouldn't overcommit ever.
He would just wait for me, which is we did a good job of that as well,
which surprised me.
Again, I always knew he had a really good eye
and he was good with his distance and things like that.
But I felt like, yeah, again, he definitely did have a good eye
I just had to still commit to what I was doing.
So that's why, like, yeah, he would land
and then I would land heaps as well.
So that was the fight I had to sort of do anyway.
If I could change things, I would a little bit now,
now that I know, now that I know with the rest,
obviously you've got that wrestling fret and things like that.
So that does throw a spanner in the works.
But now that I know I can deal with that and all that type of stuff,
I'm looking forward to the rematch.
But, I mean, it was fun.
I enjoyed the process.
You could see I did.
But when you talk about distance and things like that,
a lot of people struggle with that distance.
Distance, especially with me, with my movement and all that,
they, you know, we always say lead the dance.
So they're doing things.
They think they're, you know, when they're blocking punches,
when they're moving and they think they know what they're doing.
Oh, I blocked that.
They don't realize that I'm just camouflaging everything else.
So they block, you know, block something.
They don't realize that I'm more than okay with that
because I'm just going to set you up with something else now.
You know what I mean?
Like that's just, I'm going to blend in real strikes
and real committed strikes, ones that I'm planning on really hitting you
while I'm doing all that, you know, while I'm, you know,
fogging the brain or just, you know, making them panic
and not panic but making them react to everything I'm doing,
pop them off as I go as well.
So a lot of people find that very hard to deal with.
I was going to say how do you maintain your intellectual composure
strategy-wise in the cage?
How do you maintain your composure but at the same time
your heart's beating, your adrenaline's up?
It's a tricky one because obviously I am a,
I'm a composer, I am obviously taking reads and all that
but it's not something that I'm sitting there having
this full conversation in my head.
These reads that I'm making, yeah, I'm aware of them
but it's a natural sort of, I would say you sort of make it
end up being instinct through preparation
and being able to stay calm through all that as well,
it's all in preparation, you know what I mean,
and experience as well.
But a lot of, say if I'm, you know, again,
I'm putting a puzzle in front of these,
these guys and they're giving me these answers,
if that's the right word I'm looking for,
like give me some answers.
The answer they give me, you know,
I usually have something for that answer,
you know what I mean, like it goes like that.
So obviously I'm going to react to certain things
through preparation, that's what we dealt with
or me being in front of people and being in that situation
before they do this usually gives me this
so whatever option they give me I usually have
other options for.
So it's a tricky one, like I'm definitely thinking
about it in there, I'm definitely composed,
I've definitely seen everything but at the same time
that preparation that we've, you know,
all that work we put in is really sort of sorting
itself out if that makes sense.
You know, a muscle memory for you.
It's almost a muscle memory, exactly right.
So it's putting myself in their positions and playing
that game and again, them giving me a certain reaction
usually will open other doors for me, you know what I mean.
If they change that reaction, I'll have another answer,
you know what I mean.
So it's a tricky one because again, I'm in there,
I am thinking, I am getting,
there's things that I remember that I do and I'd have
to do other stuff and I remember thinking them
but then there's a lot of things that's just happening
because like you said, muscle memory.
Definitely, I can understand the jujitsu part
when you're on the ground, the muscle memory
but I think it's probably a bit harder when you're standing
up on your feet because anything can happen at that point.
And do you think at any stage that, look like this to me,
that he might have made a mistake and tried to prove
a point that he could boot you standing up?
Which I don't think he can.
Yeah, like I think it's again,
So they even said it during the week and I knew this is how
he fights because again, we study our opponents
and again, he's very defensive.
He'll wait and he'll either will commit to, you know,
a takedown as you're coming in, as you're blitzing in
and they're trying to get to the range
or he'll counter with strikes.
So that's what he does.
So I think they were saying, be the matador, matador.
You know, like when the bull's coming, let him come
and find the shots, find the, you know, things like that.
So I had to obviously try and confuse that.
So I'm confusing when I am going in and things like that.
But again, he had to sit back.
So he was trying to get through.
He would get the shot here and there,
but he started realizing that that was tiring him out more.
I wasn't panicking.
You know, it was a tricky one.
So obviously he wanted to shoot and he was.
He did say he wanted to knock me out and things like that,
but I don't think that was ever, you know,
he obviously wanted to get me down.
He knew that was going to be, I've definitely felt
he was still uncomfortable, even though I still think
he did better than I expected.
On the feet, I still feel like he was very uncomfortable there.
And if he could have chose to get on the ground
and just finish it there or control.
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He would, but he obviously found that hard.
And every time he did that, it was a scramble
and I would come out fresher from that scramble.
So I think that's definitely going to play a factor
in him wanting to shoot, if that makes sense.
Round three, end round three.
From a boxer's point of view, his legs are gone on him.
His legs were like jelly, which made him look like he was gas to me.
Not quite gas, but you know what I mean, getting there.
Can you see that?
Or was your corner telling you?
Yeah, we definitely see it.
I think we definitely seen it after the fourth.
Obviously, when he had me in that body lock
and we knew he was because he was just hanging on
and that's going to burn your legs out
because he's just making sure that I can't get out
and he was just like trying to hide his feet so I couldn't get out.
So certain things that he was doing, I don't mean this in any disrespect.
Obviously, he's trying to get his breath back and wants to win the round.
That's what needs to happen.
But doing that, we've definitely seen his legs get jelly after that fourth.
Third, I definitely felt he was slowing down a little bit
and I started getting more reads and things are starting to turn to sort of,
all right, now he's really struggling.
Now he's panicking because he can't hold me down
and I'm starting to get him on the feet.
So we definitely seen that, but we knew that he would still shoot.
Again, the more tired he got, the more he would panic,
the more he was going to shoot anyway,
even though that's tiring him out, that's just-
That's his go-to.
That's his go-to.
That's muscle memory for him.
That's something that is just always going to be there.
It's just funny, like in some of them positions,
like when he got that body lock with the triangle-
It was on the fourth, I can remember.
In the fourth, when he got the triangle, I was being cheeky.
So I was not, again, I do that to let him know I was like-
Were you talking to him?
Yeah, I was, him in his corner.
It was on his corner.
What were you saying to him?
He got me down, and I was holding his end,
and I think they're like, yeah, obviously wanted him to secure,
and I'm like, that ain't happening.
I'm telling him, I'm up.
So he started doing that, and I just, yeah, I was like,
and I started, just went to the cage, and they're like,
oh, you got the thing you're going to get?
So I started going pretty much around, like sort of crawled to them.
I ended up, again, he went for the shot.
It was a good shot, but then I felt like I was in a good position.
I left my legs, pushing on the head,
so I knew he would find it hard to get me flat in the back.
That's where he wanted me.
So I knew that was going to be a big problem for him,
trying to get me actually on my back.
If he gets a takedown, I'm going to bounce up.
That's what I was saying all week.
Yeah, I started being cheeky, going like, no, no, no.
I'm up, talking to his corner, and I pretty much crawled straight to them,
just so I wanted them to see me get up.
So as I went to get up, he's just jumped and got both hooks in.
Usually, you know, they'll get one, and I'm usually pretty good at blocking that,
but me being too cheeky and, like, talking to them,
he's just got both hooks in and got me in the body,
the triangle, and just held that for the rest of that round.
Obviously, that's when we'll get in that position.
He tried to get you.
Yeah, so, like, he wasn't even trying to go for submissions at that point.
I think he knew that I was very durable there.
I knew that – I think he knew that he would waste more energy there.
It was just – rather than giving me room to scramble and getting up
and, you know, making it more of a fight where he's going to get tired,
hold there, win the round, which is smart.
Like, you know, people can obviously get upset about that and things like that.
Obviously, I was –
people were thinking it was frustration, but, I mean, I'm, again,
trying to work the crowd and just saying it because, again,
he was saying that I was going to break and crumble all through the, you know,
the lead up, and I'm, like, going, you're saying I'm going to crumble.
You said you'll finish me, and now you're just hanging on.
You're trying to survive, and so I was just, again,
just trying to work the crowd and have a bit of fun with it.
But after that is when, you know, he got up, and I just let him know that,
like, and stood up, and he didn't even want to look at me,
and he could see his legs were definitely – were cooked then.
So that's why we went back, and then my coach even said to me,
he goes, mate, his legs are done.
So we knew it was close going into that one as well.
So we weren't sure.
Obviously, leading in that second round, because we're the type of team,
or my coaches are, they're really good that way.
Like, they're not going to – if it's a close fight that could go either way
or even if we think that we won but we're not sure, we're not going to tell –
they're not going to tell me that.
They're going to be like, hey, we need to work.
We can't say that for certain, you know, and they're really good that way
to always keep me pushing.
So that last round, I was like, we need this.
You know, we need this last round.
So I'm going to go for it.
And I knew that he was tired and all that, so I was going to really –
and I knew by then that he's got no threat for me on the ground.
So that's when we obviously picked it up a heap in that last round.
It was a very, very good round for me.
We thought we did enough.
Watching back as well, you know, we very comfortably think that we had
the second and third and fifth, but again, it was close fights.
You can't call robbery and whatnot because –
I did, but it doesn't matter.
Yeah, well, that's it, mate.
We're straight after because I got pretty emotional.
I'm just trying to be real with it as well, right?
Like it was a close round.
But, yeah, us watching it, you know, I think we definitely did the more damage
and we thought we definitely had that, you know.
But what do you do?
Well, I mean, some of Australia's greatest boxers were texting me
during the period and they were all saying, he's got it, he's got it,
he's got it, he's got it, you know, some of the big household names.
And we all started texting after it, robbed.
Robbed was the really common word we used.
Can I just take you back a little bit?
If you don't mind.
Would you ever thought Alex Volkanovski would be the undisputed featherweight champion?
You are the pound for pound best fighter in the world in the UFC.
He hasn't taken it away from you because he went down a weight.
He fought a bloke who went up a weight.
He didn't fight someone up a weight.
You can hardly say he's the best pound for pound.
Well, I've still got that number one ranking.
Yeah, so I still – which, again, I didn't know if they were going to do that,
Again, that's sort of what it's all about, right?
It comes – everything comes – everything was equal.
I'm pretty sure I clearly showed that I was the better fighter,
and I think that's why they still got me there.
And, again, he's a great fighter.
He definitely deserves that number two spot.
But did he do enough to show him that he's an actual better fighter than me,
especially knowing that I went up and I took all the –
I was at the disadvantage with the size.
But do you think Alex Volkanovski, if you go back a couple of years,
would you ever – do you ever envisage yourself to be this dude?
I mean, it's weird because I still am that dude I was 10 years ago, man.
Like, I'm still that guy, and, you know, I hear I'm having chats about it,
talking about being powerful pound, or, you know, last week I was at an arena,
everyone singing Land Down Under with me, cheering my name and going crazy,
and, you know, I absolutely lap it up, love it, and then I get out of there,
and then I'm just me again.
It's a – but even back then I would picture these things,
but it happening is just totally different.
So sometimes you do sit there and be like, oh, man, like, this is crazy.
You know what I mean?
But then I quickly forget about it.
I think I'm very happy that it's like that as well.
I think I don't know what it is, whether it's just where I live and, you know,
and the type of person I am and always been and things like that.
I don't know what it is, but it's weird.
Like, I really am – like, most people that meet me, that knew me before all this happened,
like, they're like, oh, man, he hasn't changed one bit.
So it's crazy, which is something I'm proud of, to be honest,
something I'm very proud of, and, yeah.
It's just – it is crazy when I sit here and talk about it and, like,
me being power for power number one, which is a big deal.
It's a massive deal.
Power for power number one in, you know, a massive sport.
Featherweight champ defending and, you know, again, almost that moment, right?
Like, that – it was a great moment, especially in that arena.
You would have felt it.
Like, everyone's like, he did it.
You know what I mean?
You know, waiting for my hand to get raised.
Yeah, you know what I mean?
Like, it was a huge moment.
I definitely felt it all and, you know, it's just – it's crazy.
I think it's a good thing that I'm always going to be me and I'm never going to let
it get to me too much and get to my head or anything like that and, yeah.
Sometimes I will sit there and be like, man, like, look at all this.
But while I have that feeling, 10 minutes later, forget about it and I'm just me again.
You know, it's weird.
Do your family keep you grounded?
Yeah, it must be.
It must be my family, where I live, my friends that I still have and even at the gym and
our team, we're all pretty chill, you know.
I think we all keep each other grounded.
It's just – I think it has to do with that.
It has to do with that.
And how does mum and dad feel about this?
Oh, they love it now.
Did they go to birth?
Yeah, they were there.
They were there, cool.
Yeah, so they were there ringside with the wife, Emma.
It's just – yeah, man, it's funny.
They used to – when I first started, they're like, you know, what's this?
And even when I played rugby league, they're like, you know, what are you doing, you know?
And then I started this.
They weren't too sure.
They didn't watch too many of the first ones.
But then now they're my biggest fans.
So they know more about me than me.
Like, you know, they know all my stats.
They know all my opponent's stats.
They know like my division or this guy's coming up.
You know, they know everything.
They watch every interview I do.
They're watching, right?
You know, they're watching.
How about the kids?
Kids, they're still young, right?
They sort of get what's going on.
They know daddy's.
Doing some big things.
And a lot of people know daddy and things like that.
But yeah, they don't really watch.
They don't watch.
You know, I think for the Max Holloway, I think they were there for the decision.
And like, you know, they were at my dad's place and everyone was around.
So everyone's like going nuts and, you know, things like that.
So they know it's a big deal.
But at the same time, you know, the kids.
So they're like, you know, while I'm sitting here fighting someone,
they could probably watch, but they're running around with their cousins.
You know what I mean?
I don't know how much they do understand it a bit, but to the extent, I don't know.
So your dad's from Macedonia?
He's a Macedonian.
And Aussie, we call them Maccas.
And your mum's from Greece.
And it's a fair combination.
It's a fair combination.
Who got to name you, mum or dad?
Because, you know, the Greeks and the Macedonians fight over who Alexander the Great was.
Trust me, I know.
So who gave you the name, mum or dad?
Oh, I couldn't tell you.
I guess both of them.
I couldn't tell you.
But yeah, that's a conversation that I usually stay out of in the comment section of social media.
Yeah, stay away from school.
And where did you meet Emma?
I met Emma at school, actually.
She's here tonight, isn't she?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
She's sitting over there.
Yeah, she's over there.
Well, we met, well, the internet, really.
That's where we first started chatting.
But we met at, it was under 18.
It was a school disco.
That's where we first met.
Like, we've been, was that 18 years?
That's cool, man.
Yeah, so that's how long we've been together.
So I would have met her before then, which is crazy.
She's been through the whole journey.
Yeah, and loving it, I guess.
She's your number one supporter.
Yeah, well, that's it.
At least now we're in a position where, you know, like I can finally give back and things
You know, we're, obviously it wasn't always like that.
Chasing the dream, doing all that.
We had to sacrifice a lot.
She had to sacrifice a lot.
The kids had to sacrifice a lot.
But now, it's all paying off.
Has your life changed?
Like, I mean, obviously financially you're earning a lot more money than you've ever
And you're in a lot more secure position.
Like, I still treat myself a little bit, but not too much, to be honest.
You know, I just make sure that, you know, we, you know, the families are okay and we're
We're going on holidays and all that.
I'd rather spend money on that than on myself.
But man, to be honest, it's definitely changed.
Obviously, you know, you walk on the streets and all that type of stuff and it's definitely
But at the same time, like everything still feels the same for me.
Because at the home, you know, I'm just, I'm just dad.
At the gym, I'm still just the one of the, like you go to the gym freestyle, there's
a wall, like a, sorry, like a whiteboard.
And it's got all the amateurs and pros and fighters and they've got all the names and
their records and their next fights and all that.
And I'm just one of the names on the, on the board.
There ain't no special treatment or special spot for the pound for pound.
You know, there's, there's nothing like that.
It's just, we all prepare each other like we would, which is cool.
And again, when we're home, it's just, you know, everything's pretty chill.
And again, that, that keeps me grounded and something that I'm very, very happy with.
And I'm glad that, that I've been able to do that through this whole, whole process
Cause a lot of people got to, you know, through this sport as well.
We talk about being an entertainment business and a lot of people change, like to, to please
people and to, you know, to maybe get more hype on them and things like that.
And then the money and all that type of stuff and being champion, change their work ethic
and all that type of stuff.
I felt like I, I didn't change it.
Something I'm proud of.
When I often listen to other people interview and they talk about, you know, he's a rugby
I want to talk about rugby league, not rugby.
How much do you think rugby league actually helps you?
Blake told me when I was there at the fires, Rich Walsh told me Alex Volkanovsky's got
So how much do you think rugby league contributed to that?
Man, I've, I've always had a, I guess, like even playing football, even though it was
heavier, you know, and I was known for taking, you know, having two, three hit ups in a set
and just, yeah, just run and always, it plays a massive part for me as well.
Who I was as a rugby league player.
And now a lot of that sort of transition to, you know, what I am as a, as a fighter as
Like I was a, I was a guy that would on our 10 meter line where, you know, not many people
Cause you know, they want it on there on the try line to score a try.
Like I was always give me the ball.
I'll get us out of here.
So I'll get like, you know, I'll push people out of the way and be like, I'm getting us
Cause you know, I trusted myself to get us out of there and I knew I wanted to be, I
wanted to do that.
And, and I wanted to stay, be active and like, yeah, it's just a.
The player I was.
And I feel like that's a, who I am in the gym and that all translates into a fighter.
But I mean, being resilient, durable.
If you look at the, a lot of the, the, the traits that I have, that's made me a champion.
What are you going to go down to?
You're going to go like resilience, never give up attitude, like adapting or finding
Like, you know, there's all these things and I feel like a rugby league definitely plays
a big part in that, you know, playing injured and things like that.
Many times we do that, you got to run in a brick wall.
Like you can't sit there and be like, oh, I'm going to choose not to.
Like, no, we don't have a choice.
You got to do it.
You know, you just got to do it and get a, get it over and done with and things like
Just being in them positions.
And I feel like, uh, you could see how I played rugby league and then you could definitely
see why I'm the fighter I am as well.
If that makes sense.
A lot of it definitely trends translates into, into MMA, I think.
Well, for those who don't know rugby league, you can't hide in rugby league.
They'll take you off.
You can't hide in rugby league.
And the way you fight is you can't, you don't hide.
And if someone gets you in a position, like, I mean, I've seen you, someone with a, have
you in check where you're like, you're turning blue.
I thought, I mean, like the last time I saw you though, I thought, my God, he's gone.
He's going to, his head's going to burst.
But you just waited patiently for the moment, for your moment.
And then when the grip came off, you got out.
And, uh, that, to me, that's, to me, that, that's got a lot of rugby league in it.
I'm not trying to glorify rugby league.
I'm just saying it's got a lot, a lot of rugby league in it.
I think that's, that's the third line that they talk about.
I don't know if you know this, but they do talk about it.
They say Volkanovski can go forever.
Like literally go forever.
Man, you look like you'd have done three more rounds to me.
Like it's, it's weird.
Obviously you feel a little bit in there, but I mean, I deal with it very well.
So I'll deal with, uh, you know, my, you know, my legs, I'm feeling my legs.
I'm feeling, you know, I'm, I'm still breathing heavy and I can still feel that, but I've
just, uh, deal with it much better where that's not all right.
It doesn't matter.
I've got a job to do.
I don't care how tired you are.
In preparation, I'll put myself, you know, I'm, I'm feeling it, but we just got to go
And, uh, we talked about last time we chatted and talking about, uh, you know, adjusting
and adapting to things, uh, to things.
And that's me in that choke is a perfect example, right?
Like I, I never looked at it.
I was like, I was like, I'm going to have to give up.
It was never like that.
It was, what do I do next?
The lights are dimming.
Like I refuse to just let me just go to sleep or it was like, what do I do?
Like it was never a, an option to tap or even go to sleep.
It was never an option.
It was like find a way.
So I was just trying to find a way, pushing on the hips and doing stuff, obviously by
whilst being composed and, uh, the lights were dimming.
And then, uh, his arms, you know, for me being resilient and durable and, and not panicking
and staying composed.
I was able to, to obviously not go to sleep, which.
And then his arms started to tire.
So my, uh, resilience in that situation, you know, outdid him, right?
So me, uh, his arms just started gassing and my light, the light started coming back and
I'm like, he's done.
And even in that situation where most people like, all right, give me a second.
You know, again, I couldn't breathe.
Like, you know, there was no blood and oxygen going to the brain, whatever it is that, that
puts you at, that was happening.
Um, I'm getting sure even when the lights started coming back, I'm still struggling
But as soon as his arms started coming back, I'm still struggling to breathe.
As soon as his arms started going, I started getting, them lights started coming back.
I'm like, he's gassing.
I'm getting up and I'm going to, I'm going to get him.
You're going to bash him, which you did.
Yeah, so I was already, that's exactly what I did.
I was already thinking that while I was still getting choked.
It's just, just how I am.
Again, it was, uh, I don't know.
Like, again, it was never a situation where I looked at it as, oh man, like I almost went
Get your breath back, you know, just in case you get put in another position or anything.
It was never like that.
It was, all right, he's, he's gassed.
We need to capitalize.
We need to get on top and we need to try and finish.
And that's all I thought about in that exact situation.
So it's a good way of explaining a lot who I am and what I'm about.
Like, I feel like that choke.
If people ask me like, oh, what type of fighter you are?
I was like, I'll just watch that.
Watch that little piece.
That's the, that's who I am.
And that's going to go down, by the way, that bit of footage is going to go down as one
of the greatest escapes of all time in, in UFC.
I think I told you at the time, or a little bit after that, John Kavanagh contacted me.
He said, I asked Volk, did he train?
He said, I trained for pushing on the hips.
Kavanagh now uses that.
As part of his defense for that choke.
It is a bit of a, I don't think I've actually been taught that, but I mean, I know, again,
you teach me how to do, I think we might've touched on this as well.
Teach me how to do a submission.
I'll teach you how to get out of it.
So you're like, it's, it's pretty simple sometimes.
Like they need to do this.
They need to turn this way, get this, you know, like their hip needs to be here and
I was like, all right, well, if I stop that hip from getting there, or I stop,
this angle from happening, he can't apply the choke.
You know, it can be that simple.
But I mean, a lot of people, you know, you know, they'd rather do some big fancy sweep
or something like me.
I'm going to make sure I don't go to sleep first, then I'll get up.
You know what I mean?
And again, that was that exact position, pushing on the hip, which he did a great job.
Brian will take you to a great job of somehow keeping them hips connected.
That's why I was still going out.
I was doing everything right.
And he was that good at that technique.
He still almost got it.
Like the way he kept it, I don't even know how he's that flexible while he had my legs
and that, like, even that position is very, very hard to do and to be strong in there.
But luckily, again, I was resilient enough and durable enough to get through it.
And again, that never die attitude or never give up attitude really shined through that
So is it going to be a rematch?
Can you say, I mean, I heard, you know, he was talking about a rematch and you were talking
I mean, is that something that's going to be, is it in the plans or are you going to
Well, there's a couple of good new fighters back into featherweight.
New Black Snocker to Jadal.
I watched the winner of the featherweight division.
He looks pretty good.
He's quite light on his feet.
Different style of fighter.
I mean, like, totally different style of fighter.
He can do a bit of everything.
Will you go back down to featherweight and go again?
I want to be active, you know, you know, made it clear.
I, even if I was going to be champion and I was going to get both belts, I was going
to keep both divisions busy and I wasn't lying.
I'm a man of my word.
I want to be active, you know, I'm going to, and I don't know when Islam can write it back.
I might have to wait too long by then.
So I'm not going to do that.
I'm not going to wait.
So it will probably be that one, that featherweight I'd say.
And yeah, looking forward to that.
Again, like you said.
Do you get to choose?
Alex, do you choose?
Well, I could probably sit and just wait if I want.
But I mean, you know, I'm not getting any younger.
But who chooses the fighters or does the matchmaker come?
How does it work in UFC?
We're at a stage where we all communicate.
You know, the management's going to talk to the UFC.
You know, where we want to go.
Again, I could sit and rest if I want and that'd be perfectly fine.
But then I've been busy.
Then I'll hear I'm, you know, what I've been doing in the past year or two there.
They're going to be more than happy for me to just sit and chill.
But that's just not what I'm about.
I want to capitalize on this time that I have, especially the position I'm in.
Being a champ, being, you know, I'm at my peak at the moment.
Capitalizing that.
You're still pretty, well, you're not very young.
But relatively speaking.
I'm 34, turning 35.
How do you feel about the age?
Does the age at any stage get you?
Right now, I'm all good.
But, you know, again, you've got to look at it, you know, probably I want to be,
again, me being at my peak and obviously experience everything
and knowledge is all coming at the perfect time right now.
That's why I want to capitalize.
If I can do this for another seven years,
But, I mean, is that likely?
You know what I mean?
Right now, I feel like I could definitely do it for another few years.
But, again, you know, we talk about, you know, my greatest investment
or my, you know, where I'm going to, right now is where I'm going to make
the most money I can, you know, especially in what I'm doing right now.
So I need to capitalize on that.
If I want to build my empire and all that type of stuff,
now's the time to really get a good base going forward.
It's the toughest game in the world, right?
You build a huge audience.
Do you look at other products to sell into that audience?
I mean, like look at Ty.
He's got the beer business out at the Drinkwest.
And he's got a whole lot of other stuff going on out there.
He's now got his own brewery built.
What is Alex Volkanovsky looking at?
Again, as you said, the audience, right?
You know, we're building our own, you know, got our own audience now.
We're at a position where, you know, like we've got the followers
and we've got our own.
But we're lucky to have a platform like UFC to really build that off.
So you want to capitalize on that too, right?
Moving forward, again, you can see right now what I'm into.
A lot of the things that I'm into like, you know, with the cooking and thing,
my YouTube channel and all that type of stuff.
But obviously investing in things that obviously I can help with too, right?
So obviously there's going to be some smart things that you can invest in
and things like that.
Or you can invest in things that I can help, right?
With my platform, with me, like, you know.
You can help promote.
You promote, exactly right.
So that always helps.
So that's obviously where we're looking.
Like, you know, we've got, you know, we've got gyms and shares in gyms
and like companies and things like that as well.
And then obviously, yeah, things outside that.
What about athletes nutrition of those sorts of things like, you know,
diet foods, supplements?
So that's a supplement company.
Yeah, so the proteins.
And so right now we're into, you know, they've got energy,
energy drinks and things are all coming out now.
So they're going through your petrol stations and all that type of stuff as well.
So we're really building that.
Things are going really good with that as well.
So thankful to be on board with that.
And it's something that I've been on board since the start.
So when they first came out, I was their first sponsor
and I've been there the whole time.
You know what I mean?
So it was, yeah, that was my first, I guess they sponsored me, sorry.
So I was their first athlete.
So I've been on board with them.
And, you know, again, it's something that I believe in.
It's a product that's obviously a good product and, you know, I use myself.
So why wouldn't I, you know, sort of invest in it?
So CMBT is a protein drink and it's also-
CMBT, that's the company.
So that's the supplement company.
So they've got proteins, energy drinks, amino acids, all this stuff, protein bars.
So yeah, so we've got protein bars and energy drinks and amino acid drinks,
rehydration drinks and all that type of stuff.
And yeah, so it's good.
It's my brand and what I'm all about.
A lot of these are things that I'm with, working with, even the gyms.
Like I'm, Bang Tao, there's a gym in Thailand that we're in.
Like obviously we've got friends in there,
but a lot of things that obviously make sense for me and my brand.
Would you go into training when Alex Volkanovski-
So would I, would I train her?
I mean, it's a, I do now.
Like we're like I help out at the gym and all that.
And obviously, you know, we help with everyone there, but it's a commitment.
You know, if everything I do, I'm going to do properly.
And I don't feel like I can just be traveling around,
traveling the world, cornering fighters.
And I don't think I could do it.
I don't think I want to make that commitment because again, I'll commit to it.
And I see guys like your John Cavanaugh, you know, Eugene, even Joe.
And Joe's got a small gym and still it keeps you busy.
Like, you know, there's a lot of sacrifices they have to make, you know,
sacrifice away from, you know, away from their family and, you know,
all that type of stuff.
It's, it is an easy job.
So it's something that, even though I love it so much,
I just don't think I can commit to it because again, I don't want to let anyone down.
And if I commit to something, you know, I have to do it properly.
And I just don't know if I could.
I want to finish with one thing, Alex.
Um, I've interviewed lots of great sportsmen, you know, world champions and lots of different things.
Great Australian sportsmen.
Two common denominators that exist of what I consider to be the greatest ones I've had opportunity to interview.
The first one is a sense of their self.
In other words, they know who they are.
They know where they stand.
In relation to, they know how good they are, but they also know their weaknesses.
That's something that comes across from you to me.
Um, you have that same instinct, that same trait, that same characteristic.
The second thing, which is always there, it's stamped on the DNA of these individuals, is
that they're very bright.
None of them have been to university, but they're very bright nonetheless.
Their intelligence about their profession, which is why they end up becoming the best
or the greatest of all time, or in your case, the pound for pound.
They're the best fighter in the world, in the UFC, and probably the toughest competition
there is, and the competition that everybody who does MMA, and by the way, MMA is a big
deal around the world now, wants to be that in the UFC.
A true cheeky Aussie dude, 100%, but I just want to say to you, mate, you have those two
traits and I want to say to you how proud all of Australia is.
I appreciate that.
To everyone watching as well, this is like the first chat that I've actually had probably
So I just want to thank everyone for the support.
It was incredible.
And obviously you could see that I was feeling that energy out there.
And again, I probably wouldn't be able to push out of certain positions if it wasn't
for the support I have around me from my team, family, and all that type of stuff, and then
from everyone that was watching and cheering me on.
Thank you for listening to another episode of Straight Talk with Mark Boris.
Audio production by Jessica Smalley.
Production assistance, Jonathan Leondis and Simon McDowell.
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