Alexander Volkanovsky, a UFC fighter, discusses his upcoming fight on July 8th and his goal to defend his title. He talks about his training and partnership with Prime Athlete. He expresses frustration with the judging system in combat sports and his disappointment with the decision in his last fight. He is confident in his abilities and plans to have both championship belts by the end of the year. He also discusses his love for Australia, its people, and its dangers. He shares his experience with Australian slang and cultural observations. He plans on having a rematch with Islam after his upcoming fight and talks about his plans after MMA, possibly becoming a chef. He thanks UFC and promotes upcoming content.
Key Points
(00:00:00) - Alexander Okanovsky is asked if he could take on a chimp one-on-one. (00:00:14) - Discussion about dangerous things in Australia. (00:00:21) - Brian Ortega choking Alexander and tapping was not an option. (00:00:26) - Alexander's arms would give out or he would die if he didn't tap. (00:00:50) - Discussion about the size of Alexander's private parts. (00:01:15) - They are not on a show. (00:01:34) - Introduction of Alexander Volkanovsky as a guest on the podcast. (00:02:25) - Alexander has defended his title five times. (00:03:19) - Alexander's upcoming fight on July 8th. (00:03:32) - Alexander gets a new Ruby every time he defends his title. (00:04:06) - Alexander is strong and dominant. (00:05:03) - Alexander's body triangle is deadly. (00:05:36) - Jiu Jitsu is a whole different beast. (00:06:07) - Discussion about cauliflower ear and street fights. (00:06:44) - Always been tough, noticed in fights (00:07:01) - Gritty, hardworking, never give up attitude (00:07:29) - Life experiences molded him (00:08:34) - Rugby background influenced desire to fight (00:09:16) - Rugby is a tough sport, physical and brutal (00:10:39) - Still working hard despite traveling (00:11:19) - Confident in imperfect training camps (00:11:32) - Prime Athlete partnership, trained together (00:12:46) - Shocked when Chris Hemsworth recognized him (00:13:14) - Hemsworth is a fan of UFC, solid dude (00:13:19) - Realized he was one of the best in the world after Chad Mendes fight (00:13:32) - Started to realize his talent and confidence in the gym (00:14:29) - Disappointed with the decision in the last fight (00:17:11) - Upset with judging in combat sports (00:18:46) - Explains the scoring system and frustration with it (00:19:46) - Mentions another fight where judging was controversial (00:20:19) - Outdated judging system in sports needs overhaul (00:20:29) - Difficulty in finding the exact answer for judging criteria (00:21:07) - Being a judge is a tricky job, especially in close fights (00:21:19) - Disappointment of losing, but still had the pound for pound spot (00:22:49) - Goal to have both championship belts by the end of the year (00:23:17) - Not scared of a person, but scared of losing (00:24:02) - Moving up weight class and facing a bigger threat (00:24:19) - Annoyed by media doubting decision to challenge oneself (00:25:16) - Will get the win back in Australia (00:25:46) - Uncertainty if opponent will take the fight or run away (00:26:10) - Possibility of fight in Kazakhstan or Abu Dhabi (00:26:42) - Challenging oneself and breaking boundaries shocks people (00:27:00) - Journalist questions why he took on the Floyd fight (00:27:11) - Statistics don't dictate decisions in life (00:27:45) - Challenges are necessary for success (00:28:04) - People doubted his decision to fight in Australia (00:28:18) - Opportunity to prove doubters wrong (00:29:05) - Watching "Chimp Empire" on Netflix (00:29:31) - Chimp anatomy is grotesque (00:31:11) - Could he take on a chimp in a fight? (00:31:37) - Chimps are dangerous and can cause harm (00:32:35) - Discussing taking on a kangaroo (00:33:10) - Australians, including kangaroos, are tough (00:33:18) - Australia was a big win for him (00:33:33) - Girls in Sydney talk about epidemic of "king punch" (00:34:00) - Clubs in Sydney shut down due to frequent king punches (00:34:28) - Phase where people were doing king hits (00:34:49) - Boys in Middle School giving each other neck slaps (00:35:17) - Young men giving each other "dead legs" at school (00:35:44) - Speaker often got bullied due to looking older (00:36:32) - Speaker known for fighting, called it "blue one" (00:37:13) - Speaker raves about Australia's food, women, and beaches (00:38:10) - Australia has friendly and wild people, beautiful beaches (00:38:35) - Mad Mondays after footy season, wild parties (00:39:02) - Speaker turns rowdy after a few drinks, called "funny ball" (00:39:22) - Speaker loves cooking on a grill, especially Tomahawk steaks (00:40:04) - Australia has dangerous spiders and jellyfish (00:40:23) - Majority of the country is still uninhabited (00:40:35) - The center of the country is the Great Outback (00:40:52) - Crocodiles in the north are scary (00:41:00) - Deadly snakes can be found in the country (00:41:19) - Misconceptions about Australia perpetuated online (00:41:31) - Avoid going to the northern part of the country (00:42:02) - Grappling with someone who enjoys hurting others (00:42:10) - Mentally pushing past difficulty in a fight (00:42:38) - Surviving a chokehold in a fight (00:43:59) - Problem-solving and persistence in difficult situations (00:45:19) - Quick recovery and counterattack in a fight (00:46:08) - Never giving up in training and fights (00:46:23) - Talks about training with larger opponents and working in uncomfortable positions (00:47:01) - Puts himself in difficult positions to solve problems in the Octagon (00:48:00) - Attributes his success to mindset, mentality, and hard work (00:49:02) - Discusses Australian slang and cultural observations (00:50:03) - Explains the meaning of "sick" and "dog" in Australian slang (00:51:13) - Shares his experience with Vegemite and Tim Tams in Australia (00:52:05) - Expresses love for Australia and its people, but acknowledges the dangers (00:53:09) - Australians can be pretty full on when drinking (00:53:30) - Girls can also get rowdy when drinking (00:54:05) - Bubblers in Australia are water fountains (00:54:16) - Bubblers can also refer to someone pissing in their own mouth (00:55:20) - Consistency is key to success in physical occupations (00:56:43) - Armbar submissions are still possible but less common at the highest level (00:58:11) - Certain submissions like guillotines and arm bars are less common in MMA now (00:59:07) - Defense has improved, making it harder to catch opponents in submissions (01:00:09) - Talks about preparing for a challenge and expecting to win (01:01:00) - Plans on having a rematch with Islam after the fight (01:01:04) - The fight will be in Vegas on July 8th (01:01:11) - Talks about his plans after MMA, possibly becoming a chef (01:02:08) - Unsure about coaching due to the commitment required (01:03:00) - Cooks a burger for Mike and gets a rating of 7.6 out of 10 (01:04:06) - Argues with Mike about his burger rating and cooking skills (01:06:48) - Excited for the upcoming fight and plans to cook with his girlfriend (01:07:16) - Thanks UFC and promotes upcoming content