The Joe Rogan Experience

JRE MMA Show #93 with Alexander Volkanovski

Joe sits down with UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Alexander VolkanovskiguestJoe RoganhostGuest (secondary, likely another person in studio)guest

Mar 10, 20201h 43mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Alexander Volkanovski Reveals Champion Mindset, Training Science, and Gritty Journey

Alexander Volkanovski joins Joe Rogan to walk through his rise from 214-pound rugby league player and concreter to UFC featherweight champion. He details the mindset and preparation behind beating Max Holloway, including his love of being the underdog, his composure under pressure, and his highly structured training camps between Wollongong and City Kickboxing in New Zealand.
The conversation dives deep into training science—dieting, weight cuts, strength and conditioning, injury management, and smart sparring—as well as his early wrestling success, late start in MMA, and the brutal lessons of overtraining and bad weight cuts.
Beyond fighting, they range into Australian toughness, hunting and spearfishing, invasive species disasters (cats, cane toads), dangerous wildlife, and how modern sports science and coaching philosophies are extending fighters’ careers.
Throughout, Volkanovski emphasizes professionalism, adaptability, and embracing uncomfortable situations in training so that high-pressure moments in the cage feel normal.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Use underdog status as fuel, not an excuse.

Volkanovski relishes being counted out; he targeted Chad Mendes and José Aldo specifically to fast-track himself to a title shot and loved proving doubters wrong in each step of his run.

Train with varied bodies and styles to eliminate in-cage surprises.

He and coach Joe Lopez move between Wollongong and City Kickboxing to get different looks, insisting on sparring and drilling with as many body types and styles as possible so nothing in a fight feels new.

Let science, not guesswork, drive your conditioning and nutrition.

He shifted from starving on “chicken and nuts” and constant staph to working with a dietician and performance staff who monitor calories, HRV, and specific strength work, allowing him to train harder, cut safer, and rehydrate back to his functional weight.

Address injuries with precision, not fear and inactivity.

Specialists built a back-strength plan around his bulging discs and sciatica—emphasizing hip mobility and glute activation—replacing weeks of terrified rest and bad mechanics with targeted movement so he can now complete full camps.

Spar smart and technical; save wars for fight night.

Most of his sparring is controlled, technical work with only one harder day a week, allowing learning, longevity, and reduced brain damage instead of constant gym wars.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

If I lose in that cage, that’s on me—and I love that.

— Alexander Volkanovski

I used to picture myself winning the UFC world title before I was even training.

— Alexander Volkanovski

You don’t get paid in the gym.

— Alexander Volkanovski

You’ve got to be comfortable when things get uncomfortable.

— Alexander Volkanovski

I don’t really get nervous before fights. I get more nervous when my teammates are fighting.

— Alexander Volkanovski

Volkanovski’s journey from rugby and wrestling to UFC featherweight championGame plan, adjustments, and rematch prospects for Max HollowayTraining structure: City Kickboxing, Freestyle Fighting Gym, and “Spider” workoutsDiet, weight cutting, and the shift to science-driven nutritionInjury struggles (back issues, broken hand, staph/MRSA, cellulitis) and rehabSparring philosophy, conditioning, and mental approach to pressureAustralian/New Zealand culture, hunting, spearfishing, and invasive wildlife issues

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