Skip to main content

10 Things Alexander Volkanovski Can't Live Without

There are a couple things UFC featherweight champ and Australian mixed martial artist Alexander Volkanovski can't live without. From an air fryer and a carving knife to his Engage MMA gloves and a Harry Potter DVD box set, these are Alex's ten essentials.

Released on 05/06/2022

Transcript

That's not a knife, this is a knife.

I don't really need to put on accent, do I?

[people laughing]

[upbeat music]

What's happening guys.

Alexander The Great Volkanovski here

UFC Featherweight champ,

and we are about to show you my 10 essential items.

Let's go.

[upbeat music]

[smooth upbeat music]

Coffee, my coffee.

I love my coffee, man.

I'm a coffee guy.

Australia is very big on coffee.

Depends on what beans you got.

I got a favorite back home is a, probably a White Horse.

It's the one I use for my coffee machine.

I used to be fine with coffee where I just make my own,

you know, water put the coffee in and a bit of milk

where now I've got my own machine.

I just need my espresso, cappuccinos and flat ones.

A bit of a coffee snob.

Don't judge me on that.

My coffee machine does all the grinding,

and all the beans and everything.

You chuck it in and it does everything.

Wake up, press the button.

It's even named Alex.

Half a scoop of a normal sugar,

and then half a scooper of like Navier.

That's it.

I press Alex, bit of sugar, ready to go.

[upbeat music]

The air fryer is my go to.

It's easy to cook things for the kids.

Literally, if you wanna steak,

cook a steak, press a button.

You'll chicken wings, press a button.

You can look like a real chef.

Well, my favorite thing to cook in these is chicken wings.

I usually use different flavored chips

like on my YouTube channel.

I'll do Cooking with Volk segment.

It's always a hit.

People love it.

People love that segment of mine.

Salt, vinegar, chicken wings, or chicken strips.

I've done Doritos.

I've done the world's hottest corn chip,

chicken strips and things like that, and easy to do.

Chuck it in there, light little spray,

and you would literally think it was deep fried

and you save thousands of calories.

So, what's not to love about an air fryer.

[upbeat music]

You need the protein.

That's something you can't lack.

I need protein every few hours.

Shake it up, eat it in the morning.

When I don't have time to cook breakfast

but I need the calories,

chuck the banana, CMBT protein,

blend it up, you're good to go.

You'll be surprised with how much you can eat

and the calories you can have if you're training hard

and eating right and still lose the weight

hold the muscle and do all that type of stuff.

So now I know all that,

it's easy to just go bang, bang, and have it.

Keep the guns rolling and happy.

Now you don't wanna lose that muscle, yeah?

[upbeat music]

Another thing I like to have with me and in my kitchen,

a nice carving knife, especially 'cause I love my barbecues.

I love my cooking and I love cooking my steaks,

and having a nice carving knife with you,

so you get that perfect slice on camera.

It is essential for me.

You know, against the grain,

remember, always against the grain.

I can tell you a lot about a steak.

I cook a mean steak,

but the carve for the camera, everyone loves it.

That's really what sells on a cooking channel

is how good you can carve a nice steak.

[upbeat music]

I talk about legacy.

I talk about making that money.

This is why I wanna make that money.

This is why I wanna a legacy.

I wanna look after my family,

for the rest of my life and a legacy is gonna do that.

And that's why I do what I'm doing,

that's why I'm disciplined in my dieting.

As you can see through what I'm talking about,

discipline in the gym, that's why I work so hard.

I'm always raising the bar.

I'm always being better,

whether it's inside or outside the cage.

Be better because you got a family to feed

and I wanna be a good role model,

not just for them,

for everyone else, but family is everything to me,

and it's pretty obvious.

So I make sure I have a family photo with me at all times.

So the wife that I love's watching it.

She doesn't mind it.

She knows more about UFC than probably me.

But the kids, they understand it.

You know, they all, obviously whenever it's on TV,

she's like, Oh, daddy is what you do.

Like they know what's going on.

So that's pretty cute.

But again, that's why I do what I do, for them.

[bright cheerful music]

You need to have gloves with you at all times.

Essential for me, 'cause as I said, I'm a professional,

always wanna be better, always wanna raise the bar,

and the only way to do that is

to be trained and you know, improve in your skills.

This has been a sponsor since very, very early in my career.

So it means a lot.

A company that's sort of backed you from the start,

but I mean, at the same time

you need your fight wear, it is obviously essential.

I do mixed martial arts.

So I need to protect my hands, knees, shin pad,

like shins, head everything.

So you need to make sure you got the right gear

to do your thing and make sure you always have 'em with you,

so you can sweat anywhere in the world.

Even when I'm here working.

Even when I'm on holidays with the family,

doesn't matter where you are, have them with you,

'cause you can get a nice workout,

get a good sweat out and you're sorted.

Try and stay, you know, try and stay reasonably healthy,

reasonably fit,

just in case there's someone wants you

to get your shirt off and you need to take a photo,

you wanna be in half decent shape.

So make sure you're taking a boxing gloves

or MMA gloves, whatever it is anywhere in the world

so you can get a sweat out, while you're doing your thing,

[upbeat music]

The whole series through eight, all eight of them.

Yeah, I grew up with it.

You know what I mean?

I still watch it.

It's sort of recycled now

because my kids watch it and I got them into it,

which is good.

It's an excuse so I can keep watching.

I've watched each movie 20 times.

I reckon, easy.

I don't know what it is about it.

Maybe it brings me back to when I was a kid myself

and you know, I come here it's fight week

and I chuck on the TV and Harry Potter is on

and I'm like, Yes, how good's this?

I've got the cards.

I've got like a selection of wands, Harry Potter cups.

I've got shirts.

I've got pajamas.

Harry Potter everything

'cause I absolutely love it.

[Woman] Which house are you in?

Oh, Gryffindor of course.

You know, Gryffindor ..'cause there's meanings to it.

You know, there's a lot of them are like brave.

Like Harry Potter.

I find myself very brave.

I feel that, you know what I mean?

I feel Gryffindor.

It's surprising after so many years,

I still can watch Harry Potter so much.

I still do it fight week and everything.

So that's probably something a lot of people didn't know.

What do you do fight week?

I watch Harry Potter.

[upbeat music]

I've been talking to you guys the whole time

about air fryers and no oils and nutrition

and all that type of stuff, and diet is key.

But, you can still sneak in a bit of chocolate.

Every night, I like to finish my night

with a little bit of dessert

and I love my chocolate.

That is definitely something that I always have with me

even after my weigh ins and all that.

before I go to bed, I still, before my fights as well

I'll have a little bit of chocolate, makes me feel good,

gives me energy, again, I've got a sweet tooth,

so I absolutely love it.

It never gets old.

I don't know.

I literally have it every night.

You think you'll get over it but I never get over chocolate.

I never will, watch a bit of Harry Potter

with a bit of cab of chocolate,

and that is your night sorted.

[upbeat music]

Got a good shine to it, yeah?

I got this when I was champ.

So this represents me being the champ.

So I can't carry the belt with me everywhere

as much as I would love to.

Just carry a big, heavy, golden shiny belt.

But this represents me being champ as well.

'Cause I'm the type of guy that, you know

when I'm back home, I'm just me.

I'm a pretty chill dude.

I'm pretty down to earth.

And I forget about the whole champ thing sometimes.

You know what I mean?

And I'm just me.

I'm daddy, you know, I'm daddy back home,

which I'm proud of.

But sometimes, you know, when I'm in front of a camera

I need to remember that you're the champ,

you know what I mean?

Own that crown.

You own that belt,

you deserve to be comfortable owning that belt

and owning that crown, you know, show yourself, you know?

Show who you are and what you're about

but at the same time, own that crown and be you.

So it's like wearing a wedding ring.

It just lets me know what I'm all about

and what I'm doing.

Obviously I can be that chill dude and down to earth

which I am proud of,

but at the same time own that crown.

And don't be, you're not cocky by doing that.

You can be confident in yourself

and you can wear that proudly.

[soft upbeat music]

As you just know, I'm bald Volk now

and I need to keep this nice and shiny as regularly

as I can 'cause it does grow quick.

Wherever it does grow,

and this keeps me shiny.

I like my shiny belts and I like my shiny forehead.

I feel like it's a new me.

So I like to stay sharp and shiny,

'cause that's my new look.

Once that hair went and I had this new balder look,

people are starting to see me be a lot more confident

in front of the camera, be myself.

You know, I'm not second guessing myself.

I'm not worried about offending people

and all that type of stuff.

I can just be myself and be comfortable being myself.

And that sort of new me came with that bald head.

So yeah, that's why I'm gonna stick to it.

Bald Volk's coming for everybody.

[soft upbeat music]

All right guys, that's it.

My 10 essential items that I like to have

with me at all times.

This is what keeps me going.

Hope you've enjoyed.

Hope you've learned a lot.

Thanks for listening.

Till next time, peace.

[soft ambient music]

Up Next