‘The Great’ lived up to his nickname this past weekend in Miami after adding another remarkable chapter to his storied career.
Alexander Volkanovski has always been fuelled by proving doubters wrong but even he admitted that they had some reasons to count him out ahead of UFC 314.
After back-to-back knockout losses, Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight title by beating Diego Lopes and proving that he’s still one of the best in the world.
The 36-year-old is already putting plans in place to get some more title defenses under his belt with Volkanovski looking to continue his track record for being an incredibly active champion.
It’s clear to see from the support that he received from his fellow fighters that the Aussie isn’t just a great champion inside the Octagon, he’s a great human being outside of the cage too.
Tim Tszyu thanks Alexander Volkanovski for supporting him during a difficult moment in his career
Alexander Volkanovski had some huge questions to answer after being knocked out in his previous two outings with many believing that a third consecutive loss could lead to his retirement.
It’s an incredibly difficult place for a fighter to find themselves in but ‘The Great’ was able to turn things around when his back was against the wall.
Australian boxer Tim Tszyu was in a similar position in recent times having lost his undefeated record due to a split decision defeat against Sebastian Fundora in March last year.
After falling to 24-1, losing his WBO light middleweight title in the process, Tszyu looked to bounce back later on in the year but he ended up suffering back-to-back defeats.
A second loss in a bout with Bakhram Murtazaliev for the IBF light middleweight title had derailed his career but he bounced back earlier this month by stopping Joseph Spencer inside four rounds.
In a recent Instagram post, Tszyu congratulated Volkanovski for the win whilst revealing that when he came up against adversity in his career, ‘The Great’ reached out to provide some extra motivation.
“Glad to see @alexvolkanovski back on top. When I lost my last fight he gave me nothing but support. He’s a true ambassador for never giving up and getting back up after being knocked down.”
Alongside a photo of them together, Tszyu shared a screenshot of the private message that the UFC’s featherweight champion sent him with words of encouragement to help lift the fighter up.
“Hey brother, I’m sure you’re disappointed right now but you still a beast and still got plenty of time. I know you’ll be back. You never shy away from a challenge and that mindset is why I know you’ll bounce back better than ever. We wouldn’t be half the men we are if we didn’t challenge ourselves everyday. Like I said, you still got plenty of time in this sport to work on what is needed. Enjoy some rest brother and get back at it.”
Alexander Volkanovski has already set his sights on a new goal
After reclaiming the featherweight title in style at UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski already has a new target in his sights.
‘The Great’ is looking to face the undefeated Movsar Evloev in his next outing with the hopes of potentially fighting two more times in 2025.
After arriving back in Australia with the 145-pound gold over his shoulder, Volkanovski told Fox News Australia that being the first person to beat the 19-0 Russian is something that motivates him at this stage in his career.
“Movsar is undefeated. I like the fact that he’s undefeated. He’s from the younger generation again. For the legacy, that would still mean so much.”
