Alexander Volkanovski says a post-fight career switch to acting is a serious possibility after his “Old Man Volk” character went viral this week and finally succeeded in unsettling his very confident opponent Ilya Topuria.
And in the best showbiz tradition, Volkanovski left the Australian media in Anaheim with a dramatic cliffhanger before he even weighed in.
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Speaking about his friendship with NBA star Jamal Murray – who was in attendance at the weigh-in – Volkanovski revealed: “You're in for a big treat tomorrow night,” hinting at the possibility of another heavy hitter joining his entourage, or perhaps the UFC. Advertisement 300.
Pressed about his big reveal, he remained shy.
“I have to leave it at that. I literally can't tell you more than that. Sorry.”
The Australian's flair for the dramatic was on full display all week, most notably as he played Old Man Fulk during the official press conference.
The character went viral, and even his old adversary Max Holloway left his endorsement on X (formerly Twitter).
More importantly, he helped turn the crowd against Topuria, who cracked under the ferocious booing he unleashed on the stage.
The deafening booing continued at the weigh-in on Saturday, with the Spaniard being heckled and swayed the entire time he was on the scales.
When he spoke to Joe Rogan on stage, his comments were almost drowned out by the audience.
Volkanovski says Topuria's reaction shows that his confident persona is just a facade.
“He's clearly playing this role — this confident, trash-talking role — but he can't handle the pressure,” he said.
“This was the first bit of pressure he felt before the fight, so you can imagine what will happen in the fight.
“It will collapse.
“He probably has people in his ear, telling him this is the way he should do it.”
Volkanovski was as surprised as everyone else that Topuria lost his temper in the news conference and again during the weigh-in.
“I didn't expect him to shoot,” he said. “Maybe he was hoping things would turn out differently, but he wasn't impressed with me at all.
“I was completely surprised, and I knew right away when he started berating the audience.
“I don't think it was part of the plan, it was very emotional. I think it's a whole heap of hype.”
Meanwhile, Volkanovski said an acting career won't be completely off the table once he retires from fighting.
“I enjoy it, and I feel pretty good at it,” he said. “It's something I can benefit from.
“I've done a few gigs before, just for sponsors, who deal with the actors, and they're always impressed.
“They say they'll never get very good athletes in front of the camera that way.”
