JRE MMA Show #93 with Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski (guest), Joe Rogan (host), Guest (secondary, likely another person in studio) (guest), Narrator, Guest (fact-checker/producer, e.g., Young Jamie) (guest)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Alexander Volkanovski and Joe Rogan, JRE MMA Show #93 with Alexander Volkanovski explores 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.
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.
Key Takeaways
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Train to be comfortable when things get uncomfortable.
Sessions like the brutal “Spider” workout deliberately push him to and past breaking points so that he can adapt under extreme fatigue and stay composed, which he credits for his high pace and decision-making over five rounds.
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Stay emotionally levelheaded to execute game plans under pressure.
He treats title fights like any other day, keeping nerves low and emotions flat so he can stick to strategy—like disrupting Max Holloway’s rhythm with leg kicks instead of getting drawn into ego-driven brawls.
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Notable 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
Questions Answered in This Episode
How much can Volkanovski still evolve his style for a Max Holloway rematch without abandoning what made him successful the first time?
Alexander Volkanovski joins Joe Rogan to walk through his rise from 214-pound rugby league player and concreter to UFC featherweight champion. ...
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What would MMA look like if every gym adopted City Kickboxing–style science, smart sparring, and structured conditioning?
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.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Given his late start and early back issues, what lessons from Volkanovski’s career path are most important for young fighters who think they’ve “missed their window”?
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.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How do fighters mentally balance the need to fight intelligently with fans’ and promoters’ demands for extremely violent, high-action fights?
Throughout, Volkanovski emphasizes professionalism, adaptability, and embracing uncomfortable situations in training so that high-pressure moments in the cage feel normal.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What could countries like Australia change in their wildlife policies to avoid repeating ecological disasters like the cane toad and feral cat invasions?
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Transcript Preview
... to the left, and... Okay.
No, here we go. Three, two, one. The champ is here! How are you, sir?
I'm good, I'm good. How are you?
Pull this, uh, sucker up about, like, a-
Get closer?
Yeah.
Okay.
Like, a fist from your face is good.
All right. Is that good?
There you go. Good to see you, brother. What's happening?
Oh, nothing much, mate. Nothing much. Just-
Ha. Has it settled in that you're the champ now?
Uh, yeah. Yeah.
Does it still feel real or is it-
Yeah, yeah. It's, it's settled in. You know what I mean? Like, it, it's weird. It's, uh, hard to explain. Like, I'm, I'm the type of person that, you know, as soon as I'm home, I'm Daddy, I'm the regular bloke that everyone knew me 10 years ago.
Mm-hmm.
But at the same time, obviously, you've got, you know, the, the media obligations and everything that needs to be done. So it's, uh... You know, it is different. You're gonna get recognized a little bit more on the street, but-
What is it like in Australia now? Do people get excited to see you now?
Yeah, yeah. Australia, you know, obviously, you know, it's where I'm from, so that's, uh... You know, the supports are big, especially where I am locally. Like, you know, every time I fight, literally, our, our, our, you know, our city, like, stops, you know, just to watch the fight.
What's the city?
Uh, Wollongong. The Gong.
What?
The Gong.
Say it again?
Wollongong.
Wollongong?
The Gong. Yes.
The Gong. Where's the Gong?
Yeah, w- we're called The Gong.
Where?
Just south of Sydney.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
So you're close? So you go to Sydney when you wanna get crazy?
Uh, yeah, yeah. No, d- yeah, I'm... They are... You know. (laughs)
(laughs)
Not really. Uh, I don't, I don't do too much, uh, partying and that, except for, uh, the couple of days ago when we were in Vegas. So Vegas got me, got me good.
Did it get you after Izzy won?
It got me before and after, so... (laughs)
(laughs)
So yeah, I'm in... I'm on real struggle street-
We'll-
... but, uh, we're good.
Well, we'll get you some water. We got water here.
Oh, yeah. Beautiful.
If you need any electrolytes.
Oh, yeah.
We got some, uh-
But we're good.
Bring in some of those, um, liquid IVs. Bri- just bring the whole box of it in there.
Oh, okay. (laughs)
Yeah, liquid IV is great. Have you ever tried that shit?
Mm-mm.
It's good. It's real good.
All right.
It's a... So it's, uh, it hydrates you twice as fast as regular water alone.
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