Alexander Volkanovski Was A 214-Pound Rugby Player Before Turning To MMA Where He Became An All-Time UFC Great

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski hasn’t always been an elite MMA fighter. But, did Alexander Volkanovski play rugby before becoming an MMA fighter?

Prior to trying his hand at MMA and ultimately becoming one of the best fighters in UFC history, the Australian’s athletic career initially went in an entirely different direction.

Long before entertaining a career as an elite MMA fighter, ‘The Great’ was actually a successful rugby player.

Did Alexander Volkanovski Play Rugby Before Being A UFC Fighter?

Alexander Volkanovski is best know for being one of the best fighters the UFC has seen in the past decade.

There is an argument that ‘Volk’ is the single greatest featherweight fighter of all time, eclipsing the likes of Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo even.

Now, after becoming a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion, ‘The Great’ is once again standing at the top of the mountain in the UFC 145-pound division.

However, fans want to know a bit more about the Australian’s athletic career before MMA. One question people seem to be asking is did Alexander Volkanovski play rugby?

Despite being a world-class mixed martial artist, having made his debut way back in May 2012, Volkanovski was formerly a highly skilled semi-professional rugby player.

The 36-year-old played for the Warilla Gorillas in his home country of Australia before finding MMA.

During his time at the Warilla Gorillas, Volkanovski won the Mick Cronin Medal as the Group 7 Rugby League best player in 2010.  He was also awarded ‘Man of the Match’ for his Gorillas side in theeir 2011 Grand Final victory over Gerringong.

Standing at just 5’6″, Volkanovski once weighed as much as 214-pound during his rugby career. Hence why he began fighting at welterweight before then dropping down to lightweight and ultimately featherweight in due course.

what a cool picture from 2011 of random 5’6 rugby player from Australia with zero MMA fights

i wonder if he went on to become one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time? pic.twitter.com/Iji2yEDFdQ

— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) April 16, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski Found Success In Rugby Before Successful MMA Career

After winning the UFC Featherweight Title back thanks to his UFC 314 main event win against Diego Lopes, Alexander Volkanovski became the first ever two-time 145-pound king.

Not only that, but he also broke a record that saw fighters in the mid-late 30s lose their title fights in the lightweight division and below.

Volkanovski’s move from rugby to MMA ended up paying off big time, becoming one of the best fighters to ever grace the UFC octagon and arguably the best featherweight of all time.

After dabbling in MMA in between rugby seasons, ‘The Great’ finally fully committed to fighting at the age of 23.

He competed on the regional Australian MMA scene for a while, having 14 fights and amassing a record of 13-1. This included fights at welterweight and lightweight before moving down to featherweight.

He was then signed by UFC President Dana White before making his UFC debut shortly after. Volkanovski impressed straight away, scoring a second-round finish against Yusuke Kasuya in 2016.

The rest is history so they say, with Alexander Volkanovski going on to be arguably the greatest featherweight of all time in MMA. What a story!