UFC 314 star Alexander Volkanovski was a 214 lbs. rugby player before fighting in MMA

Volkanovski Found Success In Rugby Before MMA Career

Standing at 5’6”, Volkanovski once weighed as much as 214 lbs. during his semi-professional career as a rugby league player in Australia.

His honors while playing for the Warilla Gorillas included the Mick Cronin Medal as the Group 7 Rugby League best player in 2010 and a Man of the Match performance in the Gorrilla’s 2011 Grand Final victory over Gerringong, but after dabbling in MMA in between rugby seasons Volkanovski decided to fully commit to fighting at age 23.

The move ended up paying off for Volkanovski, as he put together a 13-1 record competing on the Australian regional scene before he arrived in the UFC and scored a second-round finish against Yusuke Kasuya in his promotional debut in 2016.

"The Great" Looks To Snap Two-Fight Skid At UFC 314

Volkanovski went on to claim the featherweight belt from longtime Champion Max Holloway at UFC 245 and defeated “Blessed” twice more as part of a title reign that included five successful defenses of his belt. His only loss during that stretch came in a failed double-champ bid against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284.

Volkanovski accepted a short-notice rematch with Makhachev later that same year after he defended his belt against then-interim champion and fellow UFC 314 fighter Yair Rodriguez, but after being stopped by Makhachev the Australian then faced the undefeated Ilia Topuria and lost his title via second-round knockout.

Topuria’s decision to vacate the featherweight title and move up to lightweight gave Volkanovski the opportunity to immediately reclaim his belt, but to do so the 36-year-old will have to halt Lopes’ six-fight win streak when the pair meet in the main event of UFC 314 on Saturday.

Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.