Fact Check: Has Alexander Volkanovski Ever Been a Heavyweight?

Alexander Volkanovski is, for many, one of the most dominant fighters to ever grace the Octagon. He may have lost the featherweight title and has racked up two losses in a row, which is the first time he’s ever had a losing streak in the UFC, but he’s still going down in the history books as a highly decorated warrior within the confines of the cage. But did you know that Volkanovski wasn’t always a featherweight?

The Australian MMA legend didn’t have anything to do with fighting until he was 23 years old. But guess what? Volkanovski started off with a bang, recording just a single loss in the first decade of his career. But during the 36-year-old’s first few years, he jumped from one weight class to another. Let’s check that out.

Did Alexander Volkanovski ever fight in the heavyweight division?

Well, the simple answer is no, the former featherweight champion never fought in the heavyweight division! Contrary to popular rumor, the biggest weight class that Alexander Volkanovski ever competed in was middleweight, and his amateur days as an MMA fighter. But by the time he went pro, ‘The Great’ started trimming down to welterweight.

Alexander Volkanovski kicked off his pro MMA career as a welterweight fighter and has two promotional titles to his name as a 170-pounder. It was one step at a time for ‘The Great’, who then stepped one weight class down to lightweight, and even won gold competing in that division. Finally, it was time for Volkanovski’s featherweight drop, having his first 145 lbs contest in 2014.

However, Alexander Volkanovski’s weight before his combat sports endeavor even exceeded the middleweight limit. In fact, ‘The Great’ used to be a professional rugby player and could have given Alex Pereira a run for his money if he had decided to stay the way he was back then. 

Alexander Volkanovski’s weight during his rugby career

Alexander Volkanovski started training in wrestling as a kid. However, at 14 years of age, he thought his calling was a team sport. On that note, he shifted his focus to rugby and donned the role of a front rower. Known for his hard tackles and ability to break through the defense, Volkanovski played for the semi-professional team Warilla Gorillas in the Group 7 Rugby League in his native Australia.

And as indicated by the old pictures from his days as a rugby player, ‘The Great’ has a broad physique. He weighed a whopping 214 pounds (97 kg) back in the day, which clearly shows a massive difference from the 145 pounds (65 kg) that he fights at in the UFC. This seems to have helped him in his fighting career and could very well be the reason why he is one of the strongest featherweights ever. 

Volkanovski’s rugby career was by no means a failure, as his biggest moment came when he led his team to the South Coast Rugby League championship victory and earned the Mark Cronin Medal for the best player in the league. Meanwhile, his success in the UFC has far surpassed his rugby accolades. This weekend at UFC 314, ‘The Great’ has another chance to get into the UFC’s history books by beating Diego Lopes and becoming a 2-time featherweight champion. What do you think about the title fight on Saturday?