Dana’s stunning Volk reward revealed as Aussie rockets up UFC rich list
Volk #Volk
Alexander Volkanovski’s decision to fight for the UFC lightweight title on 11 days notice has seen him rewarded with a huge new contract deal which, his agent says, now makes him one the highest paid fighters not named Conor McGregor.
Already regarded by many as the No.1 fighter on the UFC roster, Volkanovski has again gone and confirmed his greatness by agreeing to rematch lightweight king Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 on Sunday week.
Should the Wollongong fighter win in his second attempt to become a two-division champion, it can be revealed he will continue to fight in the lightweight division, defending that strap ahead of his UFC featherweight crown.
Boxing: Tszyu vs Mendoza SUN 15th OCT 12PM AEDT | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia, Volkanovski’s manager Ash Belcastro also revealed the Aussie superstar had this week become one the highest paid fighters in the UFC – having signed off on a bumper new contract after accepting the Abu Dhabi showdown.
The decision also means Australian sports fans have now been gifted one of the biggest fight weeks in the nation’s history – with Volkanovski and undefeated Australian boxer Tim Tszyu set to headline world title blockbusters within days of one another.
Tszyu defends his WBO super welterweight strap against American Brian Mendoza on the Gold Coast this Sunday.
Then just seven days later, Volk will fight for ‘champ champ’ status against Makhachev.
While initially expecting to be out of action until next January, the Aussie superstar has been parachuted in to save UFC 294 as a late replacement for Brazilian Charles Oliveira, who was ruled out after being seriously cut during a sparring session.
UFC president Dana White revealed on Wednesday that Oliveira had split his eyebrow “wide open” during a training mishap and, after being forced to withdraw from the title fight, had been replaced by Volkanovski — who needed only one phone call to step in.
All of which means the UFC featherweight champ has now been given a second shot at becoming a two-division king, having previously faced Makhachev at UFC 284 in Perth, back in February.
On that occasion, The Great suffered a narrow, and contentious, decision loss.
Yet when called this week, the fighter agreed almost immediately to the rematch, despite having only returned home from a family holiday two days earlier.
Volkanovski is also only recently recovered from elbow surgery, but will now jet out for Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
As a result, UFC boss White has signed the superstar to an exciting new contract that, according to his management team, now puts him up among the highest paid fighters in the company.
Yet just as importantly, a win over Makhachev on such short notice now gives The Great a chance to confirm his legacy, indefinitely.
“Because if Volk gets off the couch and puts Makhachev away,” Belcastro said, “well, you have to ask ‘how good is he?’.”
Malkoun DISQUALIFIED after dominating | 01:20
And as for the new UFC deal earned by his willingness to throw down?
“Alex has been very well compensated,” Belcastro told Fox Sports Australia shortly after the deal was signed off.
“We’ve signed a great new agreement – not just for this fight but beyond — and Volk is now at the top echelon of UFC athletes (in terms of pay).
“It’s not just money, either. There is a whole lot more around it and he has been given some really good guarantees.
“Typically in fight sports, the heavier you are the more you get paid.
“But with Alex, as a featherweight … he’s doing really well.
“As far as featherweights are concerned, he was already the highest paid fighter ever outside Conor McGregor.
“But this new deal, it puts him in a great position to look after his family and even beyond that.”
Asked what happens if Volkanovski owns both the UFC featherweight and lightweight titles after Sunday week, Belcastro said: “If we fight and win we stay at lightweight”.
When announcing the fight on Wednesday, White heaped praised on not only the fight readiness of Volkanovski but his entire team – which includes the likes of Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France.
“And (staying ready) has been a recipe for success for us as a team,” Belcastro agreed.
“We tell our athletes to stay consistent, always fight.
“With the beast of the UFC and their PR, the momentum they get … athletes have the opportunity to grow with that and build a brand.
“Which is what we’ve done.
“There is no better way to be relevant than stay in the gym and keep fighting.
“Everything else seems to follow consistency.”
Alexander Volkanovski of Australia punches Yair Rodriguez of Mexico in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 290 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Source: Supplied
Asked about Volkanovski’s decision to fight, his manager continued: “He’s a gamer.
“Straight away, Volk was excited.
“He just loves it.
“And the older he gets, the wiser he is getting about how to train and how to understand the sport.
“I think that’s his point of difference.
“He has a great team around him too but he’s just so grounded and focused on what he wants to achieve.
“He’s the ultimate competitor and that really shines through.
“Obviously though, we still had to sort through some facts around what was being presented to us.
“But as soon as he looked at the opportunity everything instantly clicked into gear.”
Within the hour, the fighter had taken advice from a range of members inside Team Volkanovski, including his manager, coach, dietitian, physiotherapist, and head trainer.
He will now fly out for Abu Dhabi this Sunday.
“Volk will still have to cut weight, but fighting at lightweight definitely makes things easier,” Belcastro said.
“Already, he’s in a good spot physically.
“Of course, he isn’t coming into this after a camp of 12 weeks.
“So we are behind the eight ball there.
“But he’s such an ultimate professional, he really is always fit and ready to go.
“So while he has been away enjoying the school holidays with his family, his idea of being on the couch isn’t like me and you.”
Belcastro also confirmed that, only recently, Volkanovski had verbally agreed to defend his UFC featherweight strap against Ilia Topuira next January.
“Initially, we were wanting to fight again this year, fight November or December,” he said.
“But the earliest date the UFC had was January so we said ‘OK, we’ll take it’.
“So that fight was verbally agreed.
“Volk was going to kick camp off at the end of this month.”