The Daniel Cormier Show - Alexander Volkanovski on rematch with Diego Lopes, overcoming Islam & Topuria KOs

You’ve been tearing it up in the kitchen and out on the farm; what were you making the other day, and are you actually hunting some of that meat?

We filleted a fresh-caught fish and turned a deer into about one hundred ten kilograms of sausages that we shared around the family, and the whole thing felt natural because I grew up helping at big barbecues, then started cooking for myself in camp, filmed it, and people went wild even for simple stuff like chip-crumb wings.

Cooking with Volk has over a million followers, which is wild for a side project; did you ever think it would hit like that?

I wasn’t sure it needed its own identity and I worried about consistency, but my team handles recipes and runs so I can still train, and that made it doable.

You got the belt back after a rough patch; what did that moment feel like for you?

It was less about the title and more about conquering the challenge after the knockouts and the layoff, proving to my kids and everyone that you can push through and get it done.

Back in Miami you promised you’d break that thirty seven and never stat; when the talk leaned against you, did that fuel you?

I’ve always carried an underdog edge from being a small front-rower in rugby league, and I do my best work when I feel like I have to prove it.

How do you keep that edge when you’re the dominant champ, like finding a reason to take it personal the way Jordan did?

I respect the challenge and put opponents’ strengths on a pedestal to keep me sharp, and during the reign I sometimes had to manufacture doubt, but at thirty seven I don’t need to look for motivation because the questions are already there.

In the first Diego Lopez fight he seemed much more measured; was that him changing or was it your work that kept him from opening up?

We expected to blunt him with movement and drilled counters for when he did get set, and for the rematch I’m preparing for a smarter Diego and the same Diego because cutting off wrong makes him easier to hit.

Were you surprised it’s Lopez again and not someone like Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev?

I asked for Movsar, then watched the schedule shuffle while Lerone delivered the finish they wanted, so I trained with both in mind and wasn’t shocked when it turned out to be Diego.

You improve fast with familiarity—like against Max—so what does this rematch look like?

I want a cleaner, more dominant performance with minimal damage after my eye issues last time, then a quick turnaround for Lerone or Movsar.

At thirty seven do you feel urgency to stay active, or is that more of a lower-weight thing?

Heavies often peak later while the smaller divisions are more speed and pace, so I’ve trimmed volume, kept intensity, and leaned even more on experience and fight IQ.

People keep tossing around retirement and who won’t be champion; is that real for you right now?

No, I want a quick return and more defenses, and while I’m honest about being the older guy, headlines twist that because my plan is to win and keep going.

Legacy matters for you, so it doesn’t feel like you’re going to hang around just to hang around.

Money matters but health matters more, and if the knockouts had kept stacking up I wouldn’t stick around, but I bounced back and I’m all-in only when I can give one hundred ten percent.

You headline in Sydney against Diego Lopez again; what should fans expect, and does he take more risks this time?

He’s most dangerous when he’s aggressive but that opens doors for me, so expect it to get wild yet stay one-sided.

Alexander Volkanovski is one of the greats, so tap into all his stuff, and we hope his feet on that canvas lead to another championship night; like, subscribe, and tell your friends to pull up because I’m tapping in with people like Alexander Volkanovski.