Alexander Volkanovski

Australian mixed martial artist and former UFC featherweight champion who regained the title in 2025.

Alexander Volkanovski

Overview

Alexander Volkanovski is an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and a former champion in the UFC featherweight division. With a balanced wrestling-based fighting style, excellent tactical understanding, and overwhelming cardio, he rose to the top of the featherweight division, and in 2025 he regained the vacant featherweight title and became champion again.

Key details

Birth and background

Volkanovski was born on September 21, 1988, in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. In his childhood he experienced strong contact sports such as rugby league and Australian football, and stood out in wrestling. Before becoming a professional fighter, he is known to have made a living through concrete work and other jobs while training. This background laid the foundation for his strong pressure and grit, as well as his rapid career growth despite starting at a relatively late age.

Early MMA career

Volkanovski debuted in professional MMA in 2012 and built his career mainly in Australian regional promotions, earning recognition by becoming AFC featherweight champion. After signing with the UFC in 2016, he won his debut by defeating Yusuke Kasuya at UFC Fight Night 101. He then continued his rise by defeating Mizuto Hirota, Shane Young, Jeremy Kennedy, and Darren Elkins in succession, and at UFC 232 in 2018 he stopped Chad Mendes by TKO to enter title contention. In 2019, he defeated José Aldo by unanimous decision at UFC 237 to secure a featherweight title shot.

Becoming champion and title defenses

In December 2019, he defeated Max Holloway at UFC 245 to become UFC featherweight champion. In their rematch at UFC 251 in 2020, he also defeated Holloway to defend the title. He then defeated Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Max Holloway in their third fight, proving himself a dominant champion. In particular, his victory over Holloway again at UFC 276 in 2022 is regarded as an important title defense in featherweight history. In 2023, he challenged lightweight champion Islam Makhachev but lost by decision, and later returned to featherweight to defeat Yair Rodríguez by TKO. That same year, at UFC 294, he rematched Makhachev on short notice but suffered a first-round KO loss.

Losing and regaining the title

In February 2024, at UFC 298, he lost to Ilia Topuria by second-round KO and relinquished the featherweight title. After a period of regrouping, Volkanovski faced Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 in April 2025 and won by unanimous decision, returning to the champion's position. This is evaluated as an achievement showing that he is not merely a one-time champion but a fighter who maintained top-level competitiveness in the featherweight division over the long term.

Fighting style and assessment

Volkanovski is an all-around fighter who combines striking and pressure with a base in wrestling and grappling. He is excellent at quickly reading opponents' movements and adjusting tactics during a fight, and his high striking volume, forward pressure, and strong cardio are cited as strengths. His nickname is 'The Great', and he is frequently mentioned as one of the greatest UFC featherweight fighters of all time.

Recent developments

Although he lost the title to Ilia Topuria in 2024, he defeated Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in 2025 to claim the vacant featherweight title. With Topuria moving up to lightweight and vacating the title, Volkanovski has returned to the top and is leading the featherweight landscape. As of 2024-2025, his career is unfolding in a direction that demonstrates the competitiveness of a veteran alongside his return as champion.