Alexander Volkanovski has his second career picked out, and it runs on call sheets instead of fight camps. The UFC featherweight champion told TMZ Sports he wants to be a leading man in films once he’s finished fighting.
“Yeah 100% (in the future I want it to be a full-time thing), I want to play a major role, that’s the plan, play major roles, lead actors in films,” Volkanovski said.
The timing is a little funny. He’s a week out from the UFC 333 main event on October 24, where he defends his belt against undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev, and he was careful to keep the acting part-time for now. He told TMZ he’s fine taking a small role here and there “until the fighting is done.”
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“I do really enjoy it, I enjoy being in front of the camera and I can definitely see a future there, but right now, I’m a fighter,” he added.
He’s already logged plenty of camera time. His Cooking with Volk YouTube channel has taken off, and Bloody Elbow, which wrote up the TMZ comments, noted that a lot of his fans now recognize him mainly from that. Most fighters would be annoyed to be known for their kitchen work. Volkanovski seems to be using it as an audition tape.
The path from the Octagon to Hollywood isn’t exactly empty. Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre all landed big film roles after they retired.
Evloev first
None of this means he’s heading for the exit soon. Evloev will be Volkanovski’s 19th fight in the UFC, and it’s one he campaigned for over at least a year. The promotion pushed back early, but he kept calling Evloev the most dangerous featherweight on the roster until he got the booking. At 38, he’s predicted a career-best performance and said the only thing that retires him is getting dominated.
He’s also been teasing a super fight with Justin Gaethje, which would mean another move up to 155 pounds and a run at becoming a double champion. The UFC hasn’t said whether it would sign off on that.
I’d buy a ticket to the movie. A champ who chases the most dangerous guy in his division at 38 and answers questions this straight has more screen presence than half the actors Hollywood casts as fighters. Still, the pitch meeting gets a lot easier if he walks out of UFC 333 on October 24 with the belt still around his waist.
