UFC's Alexander Volkanovski Will Never Go Back To Being Overweight

Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, has definitely made the most out of his fit body and he certainly loves every bit of it.

Some 12 years ago, Volkanovski was almost unrecognizable as he was roughly 30 kilograms heavier than his current weight.

According to Fitness Volt’s TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator, Volkanovski’s ideal weight at the time was only between“140 and143 pounds.”

However, he amassed a whopping 214 pounds as a semi-pro rugby league player in Australia.

As an overweight, Volkanovski suffered health issues, including a number of back problems.

Determined to improve his life, the Aussie religiously followed a “strategic regimen of clean eating and a shed-load of cardio,” per Men’s Health.

Volkanovski’s hard work soon paid off and he managed to lose a tremendous amount of excess fat.

From 214 pounds, he trimmed down to 170 pounds and entered the sport of mixed martial arts as a welterweight in 2012.

After two years, “The Great” even dropped to 155 pounds and made his UFC debut as a lightweight.

In 2017, Volkanovski reached his ideal weight of 145 pounds and became the champion of the division after seven-straight wins.

Looking back at his journey, the UFC champion admitted that he has loved staying fit since the day he made the life-changing decision.

"I started MMA training just to keep fit while I was playing rugby league, that's when I was 214lbs. I'm 5'6" on a good day,” Volkanovski said on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in 2020. “I was a lot bigger and I wanted to stay fit during the pre-season, so that's why I went and started. I've loved it ever since."

Indeed, Volkanovski is enjoying his prime years in the sport but he also doesn’t want to waste too much time.

The 33-year-old is coming off a successful UFC featherweight title defense against Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 this past weekend.

However, he already has his sights on a third fight with former 145-pound king Max Holloway.

Should the UFC take a while to decide on his proposal, Volkanovski said that he’ll be open to return to lightweight.

“I’m in a position where I can do a couple of things, and if this division [featherweight] doesn’t want to sort itself out and they’re all going to sit back and f------ wait for s---, then fine – I’ll move up and fight lightweight,” the champion stated during his post-fight conference. “I’m an easy champ to understand: Take that No. 1 spot, you get that shot. If not, let’s move up.”

“I think we’re in a good position to move up, maybe see what happens in this lightweight division title fight, and maybe move up,” he continued. “Because again, I’m showing I’m levels ahead in this division. Maybe we move up.”