Alexander Volkanovski’s rugby photos usually spark the same conversation. How did someone who weighed around 214 pounds become a UFC featherweight champion?
His success in the Octagon has largely overshadowed his rugby career. But how good was he at the sport he left behind?
His rugby résumé reveals he had more to give up than a few extra pounds.
What Level Did Volkanovski Play?
Volkanovski played semi-professional rugby league for the Warilla Gorillas in Australia’s South Coast competition. He built his reputation at the regional level, outside the National Rugby League’s top professional ranks.
At roughly 5-foot-6, he played in the front row, where carrying the ball into defenders and absorbing heavy contact come with the job. His height was unusual for the position, but his compact, heavy frame suited the physical role.
“Give me the ball, and I’ll run straight,” he told FloCombat in 2017.
That approach brought results. In 2010, Volkanovski won the Mick Cronin Medal as the competition’s best player. The following year, he helped Warilla beat Gerringong in the grand final and earned man-of-the-match honors.
Why Did He Leave Rugby?
Volkanovski began training in MMA to stay fit between rugby seasons, then started taking amateur fights. Winning those bouts gave him a reason to consider making fighting his full-time pursuit.
He also liked the responsibility. In rugby, a strong individual performance could still end in a team defeat. Fighting offered a result he could control more directly.
By the end of 2011, he had decided to leave rugby and focus on MMA. He was 23 and willing to start over, a decision that surprised people around him.
Eight years later, he took Max Holloway’s UFC featherweight title.
Alexander Volkanovski left rugby as the best player in a grand final. In MMA, he became arguably the greatest featherweight of all time.
Betting on himself meant walking away from greatness to build it again.
