By Leigh O'Connor.
From rugby to a UFC fighter, Aussie Alexander ‘the Great’ Volkanovski also has another punch in his armoury – a YouTube cooking show ‘Cookin with Volk’.
Originally a front rower transformed himself from a 96 kg high-speed bowling ball into a 65.8 kg high-octane athlete with the ability to outmatch his competition through pure skill, strength and stamina.
In Sydney today for UFC 312, Alex will square off with featherweight rival Ilia Topuria as they pair play key roles in the headline-filled undercard – Ilia’s brother, Aleksandre, will make his UFC debut against one of Alex’s closest teammates, Colby Thicknesse.
During Episode 1 of the UFC 312: Embedded series, Alex reacted to facing off with Ilia in the Octagon for the first time since their featherweight title clash last year:
"I’m gonna be in the corner, which will be pretty cool. Colby is always in my corner throughout my career. Then you have Ilia who is going to be in Aleksandre’s corner as well.
"That’s pretty cool, I don’t think it’s ever happened – champion, former champion, master coaches like Joe (Lopez) and Ilia’s coaches.”
It is on social media that Alex has been a knockout recently with his Insta and YouTube accounts spruiking everything food, lifestyle and advantage.
You can catch him eating an Oklahoma bush burger which he cooks over an open fire, knocking up birria tacos and sampling exotic dishes such as camel with spiced yoghurt and rice.
Then there’s his fishing adventures where he catches Wahoo with the boys and then cooks it on the beach, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, garnished with lemon and dill.
Check out the whole roast ribeye that is rotisseried on the barbeque and served with chimichurri and homemade flatbread…he has to be pound for pound the best cook in the UFC!
Even a humble chicken Caesar salad gets the Volk treatment with brioche toast, cos lettuce, crispy bacon, chicken schnitzel fillet topped with blow-torched melted Parmesan, sunny side up fried egg and another thick slice of brioche toast.
For those camping, don’t go past Alex’s Nutella damper bombs with an effort to quality ratio off the charts.
Despite his tough exterior, this cooking MMA guru is a true family man, married with two young daughters. His attitude towards supporting his family continues to give him the motivation and drive to train day in and out and compete at the highest level.
Whether in the kitchen or the Octagon!
