Alexander Volkanovski cooks steak for BJJ specialist Craig Jones and the rest of his team
Alexander Volkanovski is set to challenge lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for his belt at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.
Islam Makhachev enters the contest as the favorite owing to his superior size and his impeccable ground game that is a staple among fighters from the Dagestan region. To combat the grappling threat from his opponent, Volkanovski has roped in Australian grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Craig Jones.
Jones is a two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling silver medalist and met up with Volkanovski at his home and gym to help him prepare. 'The Great' took to his kitchen to show hospitality to his guest coach and pan seared steaks.
Volkanovski spoke a little about the steaks' preparation as he served his teammates and Jones:
"The steaks. There we go. Now some are going to be a little more cooked than the others. These two are probably the most rarest. But they're all going to be closer to medium, I think."
The teammates then joked about doing the dishes before they headed to the gym, where Jones conducted a special session aimed at improving the team's ground game.
Check out the video with Craig Jones uploaded to Volkanovski's YouTube channel:
Alexander Volkanovski predicts when Islam Makhachev and his corner will panic in the fight
Alexander Volkanovski is aware of the dominance that Islam Makhachev tends to assert on his opponents, most recently Charles Oliveira. However, the featherweight champion has plans in place to put his opponent on the back foot.
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Alexander Volkanovski said:
"It's different when I'm in front of you. Once I have that movement, once I start putting hands on you. Once you grab a hold and you're like, 'F**k, this is a strong little b*****d,' once I get straight back up, pop you in the face. That's when they're gonna start getting uncomfortable. I need to capitalize when I'm on the feet."
He also elaborated on the aspect of mental toughness:
"I think he's going to be mentally strong as well, I reckon Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and the boys, they put themselves through work. But I feel like them being so uncomfortable on the feet and getting desperate for takedowns and then not being as successful as they originally planned, I feel like that's where he's going to start losing his head. Him and his corner."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's full interview below: