Alexander Volkanovski Fighting Style: Is the UFC Champ a Striker or a Grappler?

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has been on a remarkable championship reign. He is gearing up to defend his title for the sixth time in his UFC career against the surging title contender Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. Before we get to this weekend’s headlining fight, we will take a look at Volkanovski’s style of fighting.

Alexander Volkanovski has been on top of the featherweight division ever since winning the title against Max Holloway back in 2019. Since then, no one has been able to take the 145-pound championship away from him. This raises the question of what elements in his fighting technique have enabled him to surpass so many featherweight challengers. Let’s find out.

What martial art does Alexander Volkanovski use?

‘The Great’ ventured into the world of MMA at the age of 22 and was relatively a newcomer in the sport. He started to learn Muay Thai in the beginning and later started training jiu-jitsu under Joe Lopez. Furthermore, Alexander Volkanovski did his training in Greco-Roman wrestling as well. After joining the UFC, he gained a reputation for being a lethal striker, partly because of his background in Muay Thai.

The champion’s ability to harness the natural power that he developed when he was fighting at a heavier weight class has helped him overcome his opponents with dominance and ease. Furthermore, Alexander Volkanovski even broke the record for most leg kicks landed against former champion Max Holloway. He landed 76 strikes over the course of five rounds.

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However, it is important to note that ‘Volk’ also has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and was a national champion in Greco-Roman wrestling during his teenage years. As such, Alexander Volkanovski is a very versatile fighter, which he showcased in many of his fights. Let’s have a look on that front.

Volkanovski’s Striking, Wrestling, and Grappling

Calling Alexander Volkanovksi a lethal striker may not be enough. He has developed as an incredible fighter throughout the course of his UFC career. When ‘The Great’ fought Max Holloway, he dominated the Hawaiian fighter during close-range exchanges. and defeated him three times. Then again, when Volkanovski fought Chan Sung Jung, apart from showcasing excellent speed and striking, he also scored several takedowns, showing his prowess in the ground game.

However, the toughest fight of his career took place against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The Aussie ace took the Dagestan native to the limit but could not fulfill his dream of becoming a double champion. Apart from landing some powerful strikes on Makhachev, he complimented the Dagestan native’s wrestling like nobody has done till now. Despite the fight ending in a unanimous decision for the defending champion, many people believed that ‘Volk’ was robbed of a win, something that even Joe Rogan contends.

With an all-round skill set, it won’t come as a surprise if Alexander Volkanovski easily wins the UFC 298 fight against Ilai Topuria. However, ‘El Matador’ has been on a roll as well. He is undefeated, has a six-fight winning streak under his belt, and packs some serious power in his strikes as well. It remains to be seen how things pan out for both fighters on February 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

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