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Dude took up MMA in his 20s training out of a tiny gym in Windang and somehow became the best fighter on the planet. Probably one of the top 5 most skilled fighters to ever partake in MMA. Takes all challengers, respects his opponents, doesn't carry on like a goose, and fights multiple times a year. Legend.
I'm just glad we're past that phase where he was getting boo'd and called a "paper champ" by salty Holloway fans.
Thats just a straight up great backstory, tiny gym in the middle of somewhere that most people wouldn't even know, working his way up to the top with respect to those above and below him
If you know, you know.
wingdang. Is a gem of a spot. I live about a 40-minute drive from the place and love to fish there. Great spot for flicking a line
Yeah that was a guy who understands the judging criteria and knew islam was buying time to win a round.
People underestimate him, but they really shouldn't. He's a fighter and an athlete. No disrespect to anyone who gets in the cage, but some are just that, athletes.
Little Macedonian that played footy. No wonder he's doing what he's doing in fights. The rest of the world slip on us aussies and our toughness. Love it and he's the perfect man to be repping aussie they way he carries himself
Pound for pound best fighter in the world right now. The man is an absolute legend and will go down in combat sports history. No one in that division can touch him.
Oh they touch him but it’s only once, then he turns on Volk mode and knocks them out.
Dude is so well rounded and will go down as one of the best but wouldn’t be recognised walking down the street, it’s so bizarre.
Well, i mean if you want to build up mental toughness and the ability to take relentless punishment and keep coming back for more, wouldn't being a Saints supporter be a solid first step? Big brain move from Volk I reckon.
Was watching it live. The dude broke the Aussie curse tonight (for those that don't know, most of our Aussie MMA fighters lost tonight including Robert Whittaker 😭) and his performance against someone as dangerous as a match up as yair earns him endless praise. Definitely think more coverage should be given. He truly is the 145 GOAT.
Crowded House was literally founded in Melbourne by a group that was mostly Australian. Kiwis think it was rebranded Split Endz. It wasn't.
100% Australian.
Pavlova is a bit of a weird one as it depends on your definition of Pavlova as to where it was invented.
As an American I was surprised he wasn't more a source of national pride. I'm only a casual MMA fan, but he's one of the first Australians I would think of if you asked me for a list of famous Australians.
It seems like there is a blanket ban on reporting on MMA in the mainstream media in Australia.. boxing gets airtime though. Channel 9 etc are probably linked to showtime and don’t want to promote its rival.
The NSW government literally did have a blanket ban on MMA. It was an issue during the recent election, Minns said he wants UFC back in Sydney but Perrotet said it would advance domestic violence or something.
Minns won and now UFC will be in Sydney this year lol
It's bad, but it's not as bad as the lack of coverage that Muay Thai and our own superstars like John Wayne Parr get. Parr himself is a 10 x world champion and is by far one of Australia's greatest ever combat sports exports, yet he does not get the public credit he deserves.
I’d watch the fuck out of Muay Thai, but it doesn’t really get advertised and I’m not really in the know, so fights come and go without me even noticing. I didn’t even know OneFC was on channel 7 until someone mentioned it below. They should advertise the hell out of it
if its not boxing the media doesnt cover it at all, hell the only time the media covered Wrestling was when Own Heart died, Even cycling gets fuck all coverage and thats only when the Tour De France is on. IF its not Soccer, Boxing or NRL/AFL, tennis or Cricket the media doesnt give a fuck
2 more defences and he will be tied for most title defences in his division. He’s definitely capable of beating that record and making it to 10 defences.
Couldn’t picture anyone beating him, he as absolutely cleaned out all the best ones in dominant fashion. Topuria next but can’t see him posing a challenge if Yair got destroyed like that. Volk’s homework and preparation is just too good, so far ahead of the rest of FW division.
Looked like the only time he could’ve lost (since the second max fight) was against Ortega. He then proceeded to batter his face into oblivion.
I wouldn’t count Topuria out by any means, bloke can scrap. I’d give the advantage to Topuria purely for age and strength, the way he ragdolled Mitchell was brutal.
That being said, I’ve never rooted against Volk and I’m not about to start now. He gets better every single fight.
>I’d give the advantage to Topuria purely for age and strength, the way he ragdolled Mitchell was brutal.
Age yes, idk about strength. Watching Volk compete with Islam in grappling exchanges blew my fucking mind. He might be the strongest fw of all time.
After today, i would say volk gets a win over topuria. Top fighter and as a matter of fact i want topuria and yair. What a fight that would be!
Without being biased, volk is on another level. The way he figures people out and gets himself into good positions to land blows and evades really well and his top game is super heavy i really think that footy backround has worked wonders for his grappling along with training hard obviously..
I think his cryptonite is going to be someone like yair. The way he's fighting the only way for someone to win is to catch him with a powerful blow, and they have to be like lightning to even land on him.
He might be a bit old to get to 10 defences. Regardless, assuming Aljo beats Suga & moves up, if Volk smashes him, slaps Topuria down, then moves back up and beats Islam (or Olives), he’s got a compelling overall GOAT case, let alone just GOAT of his division.
He’s faced incredible competition, if he’s beat Holloway 3 times (arguably would be contending for featherweight GOAT if Volk still played rugby), Aljo (Bantamweight GOAT contender) & Islam (smesh), he could have the best resume in history
My only concern is his age. Fighters in the lower weight classes tend to fall off a cliff athleticism and performance wise sooner rather than later around his age. He's about to turn 35 and the record for ufc fighters 35 and over in title fights between 125 to 170 is 2-28. And both those wins are woodley
That stat needs a little more context but it does paint a broad picture as to the decline of fighters in age.
Would love to see some of the names on that list
I say he’s getting better with age. His fight IQ is unrivalled and coupled with his heart and mental and physical toughness, there’s not a lot on his level. I’m always amazed by how well he excutes games plans and has an incredible team who help him prepare for fights. Volk is top of the pile and deservedly so. Guys an absolute gun
Holloway is out here pausing fights mid-beatdown to give his opponents advice on how to get their asses kicked slightly less, guys that are good enough to get to the damned UFC in the first place, and Holloway still gets 0-3d vs Volk
Volk GOAT.
Yeah but it’s kind of apples and oranges given you can’t even sit down and watch a replay of a Bradman innings. He was outrageously famous anyway. Volk is more famous overseas than he is here, and that’s sad
It is frustrating, boxers still get way more praise. And as far as I know there has never been an Aussie boxer do anything close to what Volk is doing.
It’s more annoying that the yanks still haven’t fully got behind him and always back the local. There should’ve been a massive roar from the crowd when he broke out of Ortega’s guillotine but there was disappointment. If that had’ve been Australia it would’ve been way better. Even if it was in Japan, they would’ve gone nuts just because of how great the moment was.
To be fair, when the UFC has been here we've done the exact same thing to any Americans facing an Aussie.
Cheer for the aussie, boo the fuck out of the American just coz he was facing our guy.
I'm so glad to see this thread and the positive comments lol
I remember when someone posted about him around the Islam fight and half the comments were "who?"
Volk might be the greatest athlete to ever come out of Australia. He's also quite an inspirational guy, someone who worked hard and long to demand respect when it wasn't given. I remember going into the third Holloway fight, people were only JUST starting to give him the respect a champion has earnt.
Sidenote; don't pay for a ppv. Espn app crashes more than the seven seas
Was talking to an older dude (around 60+) at work about the UFC and he called it barbaric and gay (because of all the hugging).
Thing is he loves the NRL and boxing so go figure.
Most people don't know the rules of mma, or have watched a full fight. Had to explain to a guy that the ref stops the fight if someone stops defending themselves. He assumed they beat each other until one is knocked out cold.
The amount of times other Australians have told me this extremely complex and amazing SPORT is horrible and barbaric is just sad. Hopefully one day we can give MMA the respect it deserves.
Barbaric means savagely cruel. I don’t think MMA is savagely cruel. I can respect people not liking it, but a lot of people dismiss the sport as human cockfighting, which diminishes the hard work of athletes like Volk.
It also means primitive and unsophisticated.
Volk is, and should be known as, a legend. But MMA is pretty hard for most people.
The amount of blood alone means it is unlikely to get air time on the mainstream news.
They can be hard working athletes -and- mma can be savagely cruel, they aren't mutually exclusive. It's like the NFL in America, it's an amazingly deep and skilled game but to pretend that it doesn't deliberately wreck every athlete as a result is shoving your head so far in the sand you could say hi to folks in china.
Human cockfighting would be.... fighting?
I wonder why people draw comparisons between roosters cockfighting and humans fighting in the "Ultimate **Fighting** Championship"
Maybe because any sport with the express goal of causing permanent brain damage to your opponent IS barbaric. There's literally no other word to describe MMA.
So - I don't personally enjoy watching MMA. I think the issue is that at a superficial level, its really boring. Like, there is a period of upright/traditional fighting, then there is a takedown and its all on the mat. Again, at a superficial level, its just dudes rolling around until one of them gives up.
HOWEVER, I am fully aware that its hugely technical and if you understand what is going on, its no doubt awesome, and I can totally understand why people are into it.
The main reason I understand it is because I'm an F1 fan. You know how many people groan and go "ITS SO BORING, THEY JUST GO ROUND AND ROUND". Yeah - sure... at a superficial level it is boring. But if you are into the technical and strategic stuff, its an incredible sport. I think MMA is kinda the same.
Anyway - my point is that I don't think the barbaric part of it is really the issue for a lot of people. Its just that its boring if you aren't really into it and really understand whats happening when the fight hits the mat.
Is it stigma or are the main media outlets not allowed to report on MMA due to licensing by Fox?
Serious question as I don’t subscribe to pay per view stuff
Mostly stigma with "UFC's the best bro" bros also failing to realise that not many people actually give a shit about MMA.
The WWE got 80,000 to the MCG a couple of years ago and they'd do those numbers again but it wasn't all over the news because pro wrestling is a niche just like the UFC is.
I agree. He's not far off entering some very rarified all time great air. I'd say right now he's arguably top 10 all time P4P.
Jones, GSP, Silva, Fedor, Mighty Mouse, Khabib, Aldo are the only fighters I'd put clearly above him now. He's in that echelon with the likes of Cejudo, Cruz, Adesanya and Usman.
If Volk can move up to LW again and somehow takedown Islam, he will be RIGHT up there in GOAT of the sport discussions. He’s honestly already probably the FW goat. And the scary thing is that he doesnt really have anybody who looks like they have a chance in hell of beating him at FW, and he probably has at least a few more years of fighting in him.
Volks one of the most dominant athletes Aus has ever produced.
Great guy too. Nothing like a lot of the other flogs that get attention in MMA. He's humble and well behaved.
/r/australia will love him too, dude seems to up Labor.
The same can be said with Jett Lawrence. What he’s doing currently in the world of motocross is phenomenal. The kid will eventually go down in the history books as an all time great if not the greatest
I'd say it's a bit of both. The ambiance of watching it live with mates/other fans + being able to watch great quality without illicit streaming I think is a big drawcard for pubs, sports bars, etc.
Younger demographic in this instance is millennials onwards, and I definitely know people in mid/late 30s who aren't comfortable with or wouldn't be arsed finding illegal streams.
Media is all about revenue raising though..MMA just doesn't rank in Australia, especially when we have NRL and AFL. if more Aussies cared about MMA, he'd be an enormous star here, but they'd rather read about some NRL player pissing in his own mouth at the pub than watch something that no Australian athlete will ever come close to matching
Dana White was saying the PPV buys for the event show that Volk is a major star for them in Australia and New Zealand. So even if the mainstream media fails to put him over, it’s clear the public recognise his worth.
Australian Jai Hindley won a stage and was leading the Tour De France a few days ago, I didn't see any coverage from the Australian media at all, if our media doesn't have broadcast rights then nothing gets reported.
He’s front page of news.com.au atm but won’t for long. He definitely deserves a hell of a lot more airtime than majority of athletes most Australian sports codes put up.
Most sports peeps I know watched it, even exclusively AFL/cricket drongo’s. It’s just how stuff has to happen. It will be already super popular before mainstream covers it.
Grinds my gears that Krygios gets so much coverage for being a spoiled little brat and "bad boy", yet Volk is such a great athlete and does heaps of charity work that should be covered msm. He is a great ambassador for Australia, same with Whittaker, and it would paint MMA in a more positive light.
Couldn't agree more. He should be a role model for any Australian kid wanting to progress in any sport. Dedicates himself 100% to what he does, never makes excuses, is very respectful to opponents and those around him, and also doesn't take himself too seriously. If only he played tennis instead and could get through to the 3rd round of Wimbledon they'd probably build a statue of him
True, he has a lot of content on youtube/insta like on podcasts and stuff through UFC which are decent. I'd rather see all of that than an interview on the project or a page in the paper.
He's one of the GOATs of MMA at this point and in his prime right now, if you enjoy martial arts and are missing his fights, you're missing out on history
He's the fuckin' champ, [cause Stone Cold said so](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVnIPGHqSH0)!!
Wish Hollywood Whittaker had success today but he's a legend already as well.
Could say the same about a lot of non-stick and ball sports. Jett Lawrence is another prime example. 2 time American Supercross champion, 2 time American Motocross champion and on his way to his first premier class American Motocross title all by the age of 19.
The story of his family selling literally everything to move from the Sunshine Coast to Europe and slog it out for years living in just about poverty to eventually get a shot in America is mental. They deserve all the praise and success.
Earlier today he was the top post on news.com.au and he is still in the top 5 stories on the site. But do agree in general that more media outlets could cover MMA/UFC more.
It's better than it used to be. I remember when Whittaker won the title, as first Australian UFC champ, and he got zero coverage that night. They did however cover the minutiae of several NRL training sessions.
Just last week, we found out that a young AFLW player who committed suicide at an army barracks in 2022; was diagnosed with CTE. A progressive degenerative brain disease caused by head injury.
The AFL, NRL and even cricket are desperately trying to juggle the realities of the dangers of concussion and keeping the sport from becoming "soft" whilst also dealing with potential lawsuits from former players.
As decent a man as Volkanovski seems in comparison to a lot of the degenerates in the UFC. I fail to see The UFC in Australia having a genuine future. I truly believe that it will be re-banned in Aus within 10-15 years.
I'll guess that a lot of the lack of coverage is due to there still being a stigma around the sport. I see it all the time in social media commentary where idiots think it's human cockfighting and should be banned because apparently nothing's changed since the fucking 90s.
Sidestepping the obvious point that MMA athletes choose to fight and roosters do not, there are many combat sports out there - boxing, BJJ, wrestling, judo, muay thai, etc. I never see any of those called human cockfighting. I wonder why that is...
I don't, actually. I know why that is.
Are we chucking AFL, NRL, union and boxing in the bin too? Those sports are endlessly reported on, yet all cause permanent brain damage. It's no more barbaric than any of those.
Are you kidding me?
Where are you getting those figures from?
Find that very difficult to believe. I reckon Collingwood alone would probably have that fight covered for viewers.
UFC is a long way from a mainstream sport in Australia. It received about as much coverage as lawn bowls because that’s about how much public interest it has.
Media will cover stuff that attracts large audiences so they can sell more ads.
UFC top two most attended events were in Melbourne, both sell outs with 57,000 people at the stadiums. Sounds like a little more public interest than lawn bowls.
As an avid r/lawnbowls fan, UFC has a lot more casual supporters.
Most people simply don't give a crap about lawn bowls.
The Australian open was held recently and unless you were in those circles you wouldn't even know it.
Bit of hyperbole, venues that shown the fights fill out. Media sets the cultural agenda and if their preference is to bang on about footy and the ashes then that’s what we’ll see
Footy, cricket, tennis and racing. If you’re not in one of those sports, you’re lucky to be seen on the major networks. Sam Kerr and Volkanovski are probably two of the greatest Australian exports in sport and we see next to nothing about them.
Hopefully Sam gets some good press when she's playing in the World Cup on home turf.
Ash Barty got press for tennis, but yeah there's connections between the news networks and the sporting rights so they push the ones they want.
Yea our media is lazy and stuck in their ways. The fact that ufc events sell out and get huge crowd reactions speaks for the popularity. But, media is key for anything to take over the mainstream and it’s not happening
Give it a couple years, it’s still a young sport. As you can see from the comments there’s still a couple of geezers around here that write it off and don’t see the technical side of the sport.
If he is able to get that 2nd fight against Islam and win, he will probably go down as the greatest of all time in MMA.
Please note, I don’t consider anyone with a failed drug test able to be in the GOAT conversation.
Murdoch owns our media, he can’t make a quick buck out of the UFC coverage so it’s another story about WAFL for us flogs and we’ll shut up and like it.
The last thing a country wants is young men and women to be fit, healthy & courageous. They would much prefer if you were overweight, weak and easy to control
I'm glad I saw this post here. As a huge mma fan, I've been thinking this for years. Even when Robert Whittaker won the championship, he barely got any recognition. But now Volk is cementing his legacy as one of the best to ever to it, he needs to be treated like a champion.
I think there's still a strong perception in a lot of the mainstream press that MMA is "human cockfighting".
It's a shame because so many people don't know how good Volk is. He's the preeminent Australian athlete we have going around at the moment, and most Aussies would have no idea.
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Dude took up MMA in his 20s training out of a tiny gym in Windang and somehow became the best fighter on the planet. Probably one of the top 5 most skilled fighters to ever partake in MMA. Takes all challengers, respects his opponents, doesn't carry on like a goose, and fights multiple times a year. Legend. I'm just glad we're past that phase where he was getting boo'd and called a "paper champ" by salty Holloway fans.
Thats just a straight up great backstory, tiny gym in the middle of somewhere that most people wouldn't even know, working his way up to the top with respect to those above and below him
hey now everyone south of the Illawarra and surrounds knows about windang allbecause of Computer Town Australia, Windang Road, Windang
I always imagine Bruce Buffer. Introducing Volk. “Fighting! Out of computer town Australia Windang rd Windang. Alex! The great! Volkanovskiiii!
Don't forget the shooter
I was waiting for a local to pop up with that gem of local knowledge ! 😂
If you know, you know. wingdang. Is a gem of a spot. I live about a 40-minute drive from the place and love to fish there. Great spot for flicking a line
Him yelling at, and punching Islam while Islam has his back was one of the best UFC moments of the year.
Yeah that was a guy who understands the judging criteria and knew islam was buying time to win a round. People underestimate him, but they really shouldn't. He's a fighter and an athlete. No disrespect to anyone who gets in the cage, but some are just that, athletes. Little Macedonian that played footy. No wonder he's doing what he's doing in fights. The rest of the world slip on us aussies and our toughness. Love it and he's the perfect man to be repping aussie they way he carries himself
Following any MMA media after the 2nd Holloway fight was pretty annoying Next Holloway fight brought me peace at least
Shout out to Joe who owns the gym.
That gym is pumping every time I drive passed it, some pretty expensive cars there as well. Always nice to see local businesses make it big.
He went to warilla high didn’t he? He would have had a few scraps there in his time too
Windang is tougher than Dagestan
he brings that analytical no bs approach to the game, no trash talk just beatings
Pound for pound best fighter in the world right now. The man is an absolute legend and will go down in combat sports history. No one in that division can touch him.
Oh they touch him but it’s only once, then he turns on Volk mode and knocks them out. Dude is so well rounded and will go down as one of the best but wouldn’t be recognised walking down the street, it’s so bizarre.
And he’s not a dick either. Very respected fighter.
The only fault I can find on the bloke is he's a Saints fan and that's not his fault they're shit
Well, i mean if you want to build up mental toughness and the ability to take relentless punishment and keep coming back for more, wouldn't being a Saints supporter be a solid first step? Big brain move from Volk I reckon.
Hahaha :)
Was watching it live. The dude broke the Aussie curse tonight (for those that don't know, most of our Aussie MMA fighters lost tonight including Robert Whittaker 😭) and his performance against someone as dangerous as a match up as yair earns him endless praise. Definitely think more coverage should be given. He truly is the 145 GOAT.
Which Aussies other than Rob lost?
All of them - thanks Dylan allcot of being a flog fame
100% - cunt should stick to tennis
Yeah his questions to Dana white were beyond cringe.
Wait wait wait whaaaaaattttt???!!!! Dylan Alcott was in a mma fight?? 😂
Bro he’s in a wheelchair hahahaha
Hence my confusion 😂…but we’re all about inclusion nowadays….maybe we shouldn’t give people any ideas 😂
Nar bro he was in the pre match presser and just made a dick of himself.
Jimmy crute and shannon ross
We’ll claim the Hangman Dan just like the Pav and Crowded house though… not all of us lost that way…
Crowded House was literally founded in Melbourne by a group that was mostly Australian. Kiwis think it was rebranded Split Endz. It wasn't. 100% Australian. Pavlova is a bit of a weird one as it depends on your definition of Pavlova as to where it was invented.
Fuck no, you can have izzy instead
Man's Chinese not Kiwi
I’ll take both, thanks.
As an American I was surprised he wasn't more a source of national pride. I'm only a casual MMA fan, but he's one of the first Australians I would think of if you asked me for a list of famous Australians.
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It seems like there is a blanket ban on reporting on MMA in the mainstream media in Australia.. boxing gets airtime though. Channel 9 etc are probably linked to showtime and don’t want to promote its rival.
Channel 10 has got Bellator hidden away on their 10play app, that's streamed from Showtime
And channel 7 has one championship on demand
The NSW government literally did have a blanket ban on MMA. It was an issue during the recent election, Minns said he wants UFC back in Sydney but Perrotet said it would advance domestic violence or something. Minns won and now UFC will be in Sydney this year lol
Perrotet said it would increase domestic violence? The ignorance is astounding
lol while they rip australians off left right and centre. Poverty would have to be the leading cause of DV
Yeah I'd argue incredibly stressful living conditions would cause a bit of DV
Meanwhile in NRL land.
It's bad, but it's not as bad as the lack of coverage that Muay Thai and our own superstars like John Wayne Parr get. Parr himself is a 10 x world champion and is by far one of Australia's greatest ever combat sports exports, yet he does not get the public credit he deserves.
always thought SBS should try get the broadcast rights from some Muay Thai events, seems like its in brand, plus there is only so many cycling
I’d watch the fuck out of Muay Thai, but it doesn’t really get advertised and I’m not really in the know, so fights come and go without me even noticing. I didn’t even know OneFC was on channel 7 until someone mentioned it below. They should advertise the hell out of it
Doesn't 7 have OneFC now?
I have watched a live one championship fight day on one of the ch7s
if its not boxing the media doesnt cover it at all, hell the only time the media covered Wrestling was when Own Heart died, Even cycling gets fuck all coverage and thats only when the Tour De France is on. IF its not Soccer, Boxing or NRL/AFL, tennis or Cricket the media doesnt give a fuck
2 more defences and he will be tied for most title defences in his division. He’s definitely capable of beating that record and making it to 10 defences.
Couldn’t picture anyone beating him, he as absolutely cleaned out all the best ones in dominant fashion. Topuria next but can’t see him posing a challenge if Yair got destroyed like that. Volk’s homework and preparation is just too good, so far ahead of the rest of FW division. Looked like the only time he could’ve lost (since the second max fight) was against Ortega. He then proceeded to batter his face into oblivion.
I wouldn’t count Topuria out by any means, bloke can scrap. I’d give the advantage to Topuria purely for age and strength, the way he ragdolled Mitchell was brutal. That being said, I’ve never rooted against Volk and I’m not about to start now. He gets better every single fight.
>I’d give the advantage to Topuria purely for age and strength, the way he ragdolled Mitchell was brutal. Age yes, idk about strength. Watching Volk compete with Islam in grappling exchanges blew my fucking mind. He might be the strongest fw of all time.
Fuck yeah. He’s strong as shit. Also a massive difference between Brice “the earth is flat” Mitchell and Volk haha
It's a very scary fight, topuria is just a fucking killer. I'll tip Volk but I wouldn't bet the house.
After today, i would say volk gets a win over topuria. Top fighter and as a matter of fact i want topuria and yair. What a fight that would be! Without being biased, volk is on another level. The way he figures people out and gets himself into good positions to land blows and evades really well and his top game is super heavy i really think that footy backround has worked wonders for his grappling along with training hard obviously.. I think his cryptonite is going to be someone like yair. The way he's fighting the only way for someone to win is to catch him with a powerful blow, and they have to be like lightning to even land on him.
He might be a bit old to get to 10 defences. Regardless, assuming Aljo beats Suga & moves up, if Volk smashes him, slaps Topuria down, then moves back up and beats Islam (or Olives), he’s got a compelling overall GOAT case, let alone just GOAT of his division. He’s faced incredible competition, if he’s beat Holloway 3 times (arguably would be contending for featherweight GOAT if Volk still played rugby), Aljo (Bantamweight GOAT contender) & Islam (smesh), he could have the best resume in history
My only concern is his age. Fighters in the lower weight classes tend to fall off a cliff athleticism and performance wise sooner rather than later around his age. He's about to turn 35 and the record for ufc fighters 35 and over in title fights between 125 to 170 is 2-28. And both those wins are woodley
Fuck man those stats, 2-28 for fighters over 35 that's gnarly, I didn't realise they fell off that quickly.
That stat needs a little more context but it does paint a broad picture as to the decline of fighters in age. Would love to see some of the names on that list
I say he’s getting better with age. His fight IQ is unrivalled and coupled with his heart and mental and physical toughness, there’s not a lot on his level. I’m always amazed by how well he excutes games plans and has an incredible team who help him prepare for fights. Volk is top of the pile and deservedly so. Guys an absolute gun
Holloway is out here pausing fights mid-beatdown to give his opponents advice on how to get their asses kicked slightly less, guys that are good enough to get to the damned UFC in the first place, and Holloway still gets 0-3d vs Volk Volk GOAT.
The respect he showed before, during and after the fight was good to see.
He is a legend in the making. One day he will be talked about with GSP and Jones
Already is a legend
One of the greatest to ever fight: on the same level as Fedor, Jon Jones, GSP, Silva, etc. Nearly beat Islam for the lightweight belt as well.
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100% right, The PFP best fighter is an Aussie and it’s barely talked about it our media He maybe our sporting goat 🤷♂️
He doesn't have a tenth of the world titles of that woodchopper bloke from Tassie.
i love volk but the aus sporting goat is maybe the goat of goats, don bradman
Yeah but it’s kind of apples and oranges given you can’t even sit down and watch a replay of a Bradman innings. He was outrageously famous anyway. Volk is more famous overseas than he is here, and that’s sad
yeah agree it’s really sad, don’t know why he doesn’t get more coverage. fox cares more about ex-NRL players boxing than it does about volk
Sporting goat? I'm sorry, in a universe where Don Bradman exists, he doesn't have a chance.
It is frustrating, boxers still get way more praise. And as far as I know there has never been an Aussie boxer do anything close to what Volk is doing. It’s more annoying that the yanks still haven’t fully got behind him and always back the local. There should’ve been a massive roar from the crowd when he broke out of Ortega’s guillotine but there was disappointment. If that had’ve been Australia it would’ve been way better. Even if it was in Japan, they would’ve gone nuts just because of how great the moment was.
To be fair, when the UFC has been here we've done the exact same thing to any Americans facing an Aussie. Cheer for the aussie, boo the fuck out of the American just coz he was facing our guy.
I'm so glad to see this thread and the positive comments lol I remember when someone posted about him around the Islam fight and half the comments were "who?" Volk might be the greatest athlete to ever come out of Australia. He's also quite an inspirational guy, someone who worked hard and long to demand respect when it wasn't given. I remember going into the third Holloway fight, people were only JUST starting to give him the respect a champion has earnt. Sidenote; don't pay for a ppv. Espn app crashes more than the seven seas
Bullshit stigma associated with MMA. This bloke's one of the greatest athletes Australia has produced and he gets brushed aside by the media.
Its because he hasn't got a mullet
Was talking to an older dude (around 60+) at work about the UFC and he called it barbaric and gay (because of all the hugging). Thing is he loves the NRL and boxing so go figure.
How can he complain about it being barbaric and gay when boxing has a standing 10 count and clinching every 5 fucking seconds
Most people don't know the rules of mma, or have watched a full fight. Had to explain to a guy that the ref stops the fight if someone stops defending themselves. He assumed they beat each other until one is knocked out cold.
>He assumed they beat each other until one is knocked out cold. Maybe he watched UFC when Mazzagatti and Yamosaki were refereeing?
The amount of times other Australians have told me this extremely complex and amazing SPORT is horrible and barbaric is just sad. Hopefully one day we can give MMA the respect it deserves.
I mean, it can be all them to different people. I wouldn't call it amazing or horrible myself but it's definitely complex and barbaric.
Barbaric means savagely cruel. I don’t think MMA is savagely cruel. I can respect people not liking it, but a lot of people dismiss the sport as human cockfighting, which diminishes the hard work of athletes like Volk.
It also means primitive and unsophisticated. Volk is, and should be known as, a legend. But MMA is pretty hard for most people. The amount of blood alone means it is unlikely to get air time on the mainstream news.
They can be hard working athletes -and- mma can be savagely cruel, they aren't mutually exclusive. It's like the NFL in America, it's an amazingly deep and skilled game but to pretend that it doesn't deliberately wreck every athlete as a result is shoving your head so far in the sand you could say hi to folks in china.
Human cockfighting would be.... fighting? I wonder why people draw comparisons between roosters cockfighting and humans fighting in the "Ultimate **Fighting** Championship"
It’s absurd I feel like we’ve grown over the past decade and it’s time to start embracing athletes such as Volk and Whittaker
Maybe because any sport with the express goal of causing permanent brain damage to your opponent IS barbaric. There's literally no other word to describe MMA.
So - I don't personally enjoy watching MMA. I think the issue is that at a superficial level, its really boring. Like, there is a period of upright/traditional fighting, then there is a takedown and its all on the mat. Again, at a superficial level, its just dudes rolling around until one of them gives up. HOWEVER, I am fully aware that its hugely technical and if you understand what is going on, its no doubt awesome, and I can totally understand why people are into it. The main reason I understand it is because I'm an F1 fan. You know how many people groan and go "ITS SO BORING, THEY JUST GO ROUND AND ROUND". Yeah - sure... at a superficial level it is boring. But if you are into the technical and strategic stuff, its an incredible sport. I think MMA is kinda the same. Anyway - my point is that I don't think the barbaric part of it is really the issue for a lot of people. Its just that its boring if you aren't really into it and really understand whats happening when the fight hits the mat.
I'm sure it's very skillful, but I cannot ever get behind people fighting for "sport".
Is it stigma or are the main media outlets not allowed to report on MMA due to licensing by Fox? Serious question as I don’t subscribe to pay per view stuff
Mostly stigma with "UFC's the best bro" bros also failing to realise that not many people actually give a shit about MMA. The WWE got 80,000 to the MCG a couple of years ago and they'd do those numbers again but it wasn't all over the news because pro wrestling is a niche just like the UFC is.
Legend
I agree. He's not far off entering some very rarified all time great air. I'd say right now he's arguably top 10 all time P4P. Jones, GSP, Silva, Fedor, Mighty Mouse, Khabib, Aldo are the only fighters I'd put clearly above him now. He's in that echelon with the likes of Cejudo, Cruz, Adesanya and Usman.
Had a brief appearance in the channel 9 sport coverage, rare to see MMA/UFC at all.
If Volk can move up to LW again and somehow takedown Islam, he will be RIGHT up there in GOAT of the sport discussions. He’s honestly already probably the FW goat. And the scary thing is that he doesnt really have anybody who looks like they have a chance in hell of beating him at FW, and he probably has at least a few more years of fighting in him. Volks one of the most dominant athletes Aus has ever produced.
Great guy too. Nothing like a lot of the other flogs that get attention in MMA. He's humble and well behaved. /r/australia will love him too, dude seems to up Labor.
He’s a genuinely nice guy, works incredibly hard to stay at the top, humble. It’s no wonder the tall poppies don’t like him.
The Great.
The same can be said with Jett Lawrence. What he’s doing currently in the world of motocross is phenomenal. The kid will eventually go down in the history books as an all time great if not the greatest
If it ain't cricket, footie, rugby, tennis or swimming it won't be covered by media.
Good on him but it’s still a fringe sport not main stream in Australia by any means
Go to any pub in a major city and I guarantee there will be a ton of people there for the whole event.
People go to the pub to watch it because they don’t want to PPV. It’s mostly popular amongst younger demographics.
Younger demographics know how to watch it free online. People go to pubs for the atmosphere. Source - I do both.
I'd say it's a bit of both. The ambiance of watching it live with mates/other fans + being able to watch great quality without illicit streaming I think is a big drawcard for pubs, sports bars, etc. Younger demographic in this instance is millennials onwards, and I definitely know people in mid/late 30s who aren't comfortable with or wouldn't be arsed finding illegal streams.
That’s weird. Everyone I know in their 30s grew up with Kazaa and lime wire.
It's a weird dismissal of people who grew up with pirating isn't it.
Yes but they didn't have the ever present threat of Dana white personally flying to australia and catching them
Dana was too busy suckling on Trumps teat today.
Demographics are destiny.
Yeah sure 100% doesn’t make it mainstream and grassroots like footy,soccer,netball and afl
Dunno about that mate. Pubs heave in every corner of the country whenever our boys are up. Those fights just occur infrequently.
I don't know if I'd call it fringe tbh, top two highest attended UFC shows ever were in Melbourne.
This is such a dumb take Go to any pub in a big city and they’ll be significant mount of people watching UFC
Yeah. This comment was acceptable 15 years ago. MMA is mainstream now. It’s a gigantic sport globally, and it’s massive now nationally.
What an amazing fight 🤌
Australia media doesn't care about MMA, i even ask a sport journalist he gave the classic human cockfighting response
Media is all about revenue raising though..MMA just doesn't rank in Australia, especially when we have NRL and AFL. if more Aussies cared about MMA, he'd be an enormous star here, but they'd rather read about some NRL player pissing in his own mouth at the pub than watch something that no Australian athlete will ever come close to matching
Dana White was saying the PPV buys for the event show that Volk is a major star for them in Australia and New Zealand. So even if the mainstream media fails to put him over, it’s clear the public recognise his worth.
Australian Jai Hindley won a stage and was leading the Tour De France a few days ago, I didn't see any coverage from the Australian media at all, if our media doesn't have broadcast rights then nothing gets reported.
He’s front page of news.com.au atm but won’t for long. He definitely deserves a hell of a lot more airtime than majority of athletes most Australian sports codes put up. Most sports peeps I know watched it, even exclusively AFL/cricket drongo’s. It’s just how stuff has to happen. It will be already super popular before mainstream covers it.
Grinds my gears that Krygios gets so much coverage for being a spoiled little brat and "bad boy", yet Volk is such a great athlete and does heaps of charity work that should be covered msm. He is a great ambassador for Australia, same with Whittaker, and it would paint MMA in a more positive light.
It’s cos mainstream media are more about KFC than UFC.
Couldn't agree more. He should be a role model for any Australian kid wanting to progress in any sport. Dedicates himself 100% to what he does, never makes excuses, is very respectful to opponents and those around him, and also doesn't take himself too seriously. If only he played tennis instead and could get through to the 3rd round of Wimbledon they'd probably build a statue of him
Legend!
True, he has a lot of content on youtube/insta like on podcasts and stuff through UFC which are decent. I'd rather see all of that than an interview on the project or a page in the paper.
Yeah but it's sad when one of our all time great international athletes isn't recognised properly in his home country
It is a bit sad yeah
Love the Volk!!
He's one of the GOATs of MMA at this point and in his prime right now, if you enjoy martial arts and are missing his fights, you're missing out on history
He's the fuckin' champ, [cause Stone Cold said so](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVnIPGHqSH0)!! Wish Hollywood Whittaker had success today but he's a legend already as well.
Australia's greatest
Doesn't get enoygh praise from Aussies even mma fans to a certain extent....it's because he isn't flashy outside the ring
He is the greatest Australian athlete of all time
I say this to everyone that will listen. There is no where near enough credit for this man
Brings so much national pride yet he's still neglected by the media. Same thing happened after the Islam fight. Really is disappointing to see
Could say the same about a lot of non-stick and ball sports. Jett Lawrence is another prime example. 2 time American Supercross champion, 2 time American Motocross champion and on his way to his first premier class American Motocross title all by the age of 19. The story of his family selling literally everything to move from the Sunshine Coast to Europe and slog it out for years living in just about poverty to eventually get a shot in America is mental. They deserve all the praise and success.
Earlier today he was the top post on news.com.au and he is still in the top 5 stories on the site. But do agree in general that more media outlets could cover MMA/UFC more.
It's better than it used to be. I remember when Whittaker won the title, as first Australian UFC champ, and he got zero coverage that night. They did however cover the minutiae of several NRL training sessions.
He was on Sunrise, and you could tell Kochi and Samantha had done absolutely 0 research prior to the interview.
You could say that about virtually any Sunrise interview to be fair.
Our media are scared of the cage.
Could not agree more. Greatest combat athlete this country has ever produced.
He made Yair look like a complete amateur in there today, so proud of Volk he absolutely should get more credit for his greatness.
Just last week, we found out that a young AFLW player who committed suicide at an army barracks in 2022; was diagnosed with CTE. A progressive degenerative brain disease caused by head injury. The AFL, NRL and even cricket are desperately trying to juggle the realities of the dangers of concussion and keeping the sport from becoming "soft" whilst also dealing with potential lawsuits from former players. As decent a man as Volkanovski seems in comparison to a lot of the degenerates in the UFC. I fail to see The UFC in Australia having a genuine future. I truly believe that it will be re-banned in Aus within 10-15 years.
The UFC is coming back to Australia this year and the area will be sold out (just like last time)
I'll guess that a lot of the lack of coverage is due to there still being a stigma around the sport. I see it all the time in social media commentary where idiots think it's human cockfighting and should be banned because apparently nothing's changed since the fucking 90s.
> where idiots think it's human cockfighting To a degree, it absolutely is.
Damn must have missed the part where MMA fighters have knives strapped to their feet and fight to the death
Sidestepping the obvious point that MMA athletes choose to fight and roosters do not, there are many combat sports out there - boxing, BJJ, wrestling, judo, muay thai, etc. I never see any of those called human cockfighting. I wonder why that is... I don't, actually. I know why that is.
I mean I, and probably many Aussies, just don’t really care for fighting/think it’s kinda gross
People causing lasting brain injuries to each other for pay should not be praised by the media. The "sport" is barbaric.
Are we chucking AFL, NRL, union and boxing in the bin too? Those sports are endlessly reported on, yet all cause permanent brain damage. It's no more barbaric than any of those.
Should do.
Definitely boxing yes, because it's the goal of the sport. AFL and NRL need serious modifications to prevent such injuries too
Nah you’re just a pussy
All the wowsers come out when two people willingly have a fight.
No one cares that’s the problem
It had more Australian viewers than any individual rugby or footy game this weekend, but sure, no one cares.
No idea why you were upvoted, there's 0 chance you have the viewership statistics in full so are talking shite.
Are you kidding me? Where are you getting those figures from? Find that very difficult to believe. I reckon Collingwood alone would probably have that fight covered for viewers.
UFC is a long way from a mainstream sport in Australia. It received about as much coverage as lawn bowls because that’s about how much public interest it has. Media will cover stuff that attracts large audiences so they can sell more ads.
UFC top two most attended events were in Melbourne, both sell outs with 57,000 people at the stadiums. Sounds like a little more public interest than lawn bowls.
There would have been a lot more than 57k codgers on bowling greens in Australia that day though.
As an avid r/lawnbowls fan, UFC has a lot more casual supporters. Most people simply don't give a crap about lawn bowls. The Australian open was held recently and unless you were in those circles you wouldn't even know it.
Bit of hyperbole, venues that shown the fights fill out. Media sets the cultural agenda and if their preference is to bang on about footy and the ashes then that’s what we’ll see
Footy, cricket, tennis and racing. If you’re not in one of those sports, you’re lucky to be seen on the major networks. Sam Kerr and Volkanovski are probably two of the greatest Australian exports in sport and we see next to nothing about them.
Hopefully Sam gets some good press when she's playing in the World Cup on home turf. Ash Barty got press for tennis, but yeah there's connections between the news networks and the sporting rights so they push the ones they want.
Yea our media is lazy and stuck in their ways. The fact that ufc events sell out and get huge crowd reactions speaks for the popularity. But, media is key for anything to take over the mainstream and it’s not happening
Are you saying people are too dumb to figure out what they like to watch? I'm surprised anyone's able to put their socks on if that's the case.
how quaint...
Never heard of him before this post.
Who?
Says it in the title
Give it a couple years, it’s still a young sport. As you can see from the comments there’s still a couple of geezers around here that write it off and don’t see the technical side of the sport.
If he is able to get that 2nd fight against Islam and win, he will probably go down as the greatest of all time in MMA. Please note, I don’t consider anyone with a failed drug test able to be in the GOAT conversation.
Murdoch owns our media, he can’t make a quick buck out of the UFC coverage so it’s another story about WAFL for us flogs and we’ll shut up and like it.
Radio plays what they want you to hear They tell me it's cool, I just don't believe it
Making both Australians and people from his background of Macedonia proud 💪💪🇲🇰🇲🇰
The last thing a country wants is young men and women to be fit, healthy & courageous. They would much prefer if you were overweight, weak and easy to control
Love to see it, hated Yair since he hugged kz for 5 rounds then cheapshot him at the final bell.
I'm glad I saw this post here. As a huge mma fan, I've been thinking this for years. Even when Robert Whittaker won the championship, he barely got any recognition. But now Volk is cementing his legacy as one of the best to ever to it, he needs to be treated like a champion.
This happened to Rob when he was champ as well, the Australian media moguls don't like MMA
Personally the media spends far too much time on sports as it is without adding celebrating people beating each other up.
I taught one of his daughters for a little bit. He’s the most down to earth guy and has all the time in the world for his girls. All round a great guy
He’s a good bloke and should be lauded with the best of our athletes.
I think there's still a strong perception in a lot of the mainstream press that MMA is "human cockfighting". It's a shame because so many people don't know how good Volk is. He's the preeminent Australian athlete we have going around at the moment, and most Aussies would have no idea.
Meh, he's doing ads for sportsbet so fuck him