"You ain’t back-chatting the coach!” - Alexander Volkanovski’s coach sheds light on the time he put his foot down with ‘The Great’
Alexander Volkanovski began training at Freestyle MMA in 2011, the gym he still calls 'home' today, headed by coach Joe Lopez.
In the 13 years that the pair have known each other, they have achieved numerous world titles, records and other accolades. Now, Lopez has recounted a story of the time he was forced to put 'The Great' back in line during a training session.
Alexander Volkanovski's relentless work ethic is well-known, but it seems that even the best can at times get carried away with their own ideas.
Joe Lopez recently appeared on a special episode of Craig Jones' El Segundo Podcast, where he shared the story of forcing 'The Great' to do a meat-grinder for 25 minutes continuously. He said:
"The meat-grinder is usually a simulated fight. Every 30 seconds we bring in a new [partner]... We do pads, striking, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and we mix it up. I'd set it all up with the training partners, and I turn my back and Alex changed it all around. He just said, 'I prefer this guy doing this and this guy doing that.'"
Lopez continued:
"Because [Volkanovski] back-chatted me, I made him do 25 minutes straight. I cooked him. You ain't back-chatting the coach!"
Watch the video below from 8:55:
Alexander Volkanovski is ready to humble Ilia Topuria at UFC 298
Alexander Volkanovski is preparing to defend his featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February.
'The Great' is undefeated at 145 pounds throughout his career, and will hope to extend that run against a surging contender in Topuria.
The title challenger has shared his prediction for their fight, and believes that it will be a far easier fight than fans expect. With 'El Matador' bursting with confidence ahead of UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski is hoping to bring Iia Topuria back down to Earth with a defeat.
The featherweight king appeared on the Who The Fook Are These Guys? podcast several weeks ago, where he previewed his clash with Topuria, saying this:
"I want to teach him a lesson, humble him a little bit. Let him wake up to himself and then he can bounce back... He needs the world to see it. Let me do my thing in front of the world, a little humbling experience for him. Maybe he needs a bit of embarrassment, then snap things into gear. Maybe he can one day be a great champion... I'm going to teach him a lesson, I'm going to embarrass him."
Watch the video below from 26:30: