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Sam Bruce
UFC Fight Night 121 is not a card fondly recalled in MMA circles, let alone for the 10,021 fans who travelled to Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday Nov. 19, 2017.
The event, it seemed, was doomed almost from the outset. Whether it was heavyweight Mark Hunt’s withdrawal from the main event due to «medical concerns» or Joanne Calderwood’s scratching because of an «undisclosed injury», a doping violation for The Ultimate Fighter Series: Redemption winner Jesse Taylor, and then four separate weight misses on the card’s eve, UFC Fight Night Sydney had more than its fair share of missteps.
And that is before you consider the comical boomerang incident involving replacement headliner Fabricio Werdum and guest fighter Colby Covington, which later saw the Brazilian charged with common assault and fined $[AUD]600.
Then came the 13 fights, all but two of which went the distance, setting a new mark for the longest UFC event of all time with 3:04:18 actual fight time, a record that stood for over two-and-a-half years until it was eclipsed at UFC 251.
There were however a couple of moments to excite the local fans, including Tai Tuivasa’s sensational flying knee KO of Rashad Coulter, and Alexander Volkanovski’s complete domination of Shane Young.
Now, 2996 days on from that classy win, Volkanovski will on Sunday [AEDT, Saturday night ET] at last walk out for a long-awaited title fight in front of his home fans.
«Man, you barely remember those days, you’re like ‘far out, that was early in my career’, how far I have come from then, you know it’s pretty crazy,» Volkanovski tells ESPN. «I’ve at least been to these events that they had here in Sydney, so whenever there’s a UFC event in Australia I’m at least always there, so I’m always making sure I’m supporting the event and helping in whatever way I can and enjoying the atmosphere.
«But this time I get to try and bring that atmosphere… I want to bring out the energy, we have a great performance and then, you know, even just the walkout and all that, we’ve seen how that was in Perth [UFC 284] last time I was able to fight here in Australia, so you can only imagine how it’s going to be here in Sydney.
«I didn’t get to have that [energy] last time I fought in Sydney because I wasn’t as recognised as I am now. But we’re in a great position now, the support’s never been better and now I get to give back to all the fans that have been supporting me from day one, and even everyone from back in Wollongong and everything, they’re all going to be there, so to be able to put a show on for them is going to be incredible.»
As Volkanovski says, he hasn’t fought on home soil since UFC 284; his unanimous decision defeat by Islam Makhachev in 2023 will live long in the memory, despite the fact the result did not go the Australian’s way.
But Sunday’s fight with Brazilian Diego Lopes hits different.
This is Volkanovski’s home state, with Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena just a short drive from his hometown in Wollongong, while the push to throw down in the Harbour City has been almost as challenging as going five rounds with Makhachev.
Part of that, of course, is down to timing — which doesn’t always align in the dynamic world of the UFC. The COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Volkanovski spend multiple weeks in hotel quarantine, also meant Volkanovski had to keep travelling overseas and then sit through a fortnight’s hotel quarantine, as was Australia’s policy at the time.
Volkanovski sniffed an opportunity to fight in Sydney at the beginning of last year after losing his belt to Ilia Topuria, but again the UFC stars did not align and disappointingly, for the home fans at least, Dricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland headlined UFC 312.
Given the eight-year wait to see their favourite UFC charge in action, Volkanovski is desperate to put on a show for his home fans, even if it might not add to his career resume.
«We know he’s [Lopes] going to bring it, we know it’s an exciting fight; a lot of people might have wanted to see me against [Movsar] Evloev, undefeated guy, maybe for legacy reasons and people that are in the know,» Volkanovski tells ESPN.
«But then you’ve got everyone that still just want to watch me fight, they’re like ‘oh this is going to be exciting, the last [against Lopes] one was exciting, now we get to have this in Sydney’. So I think they’re all in for a treat, but yeah, obviously legacy-wise, having a rematch against someone I just beat, is it going to be doing so much for my legacy? Probably not.»
A case then of having little to gain and everything to lose? It’s a question that Volkanovski admits is on the money, but one he counters with the belief that he can use this fight as a springboard, that a second dominant showing and victory over Lopes, six years his junior, will serve as a reminder to those who hope to unseat him at the top of the featherweights.
He says he will be a different fighter to the one who triumphed 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards in Miami.
«With how I’m approaching this, I wish I could have approached [like] this in other fights,» Volkanovski explains. «I’ve been very successful through my career. But yeah, how can I say it, I’m a very strategic fighter.
«There [are] times where it’s like ‘I’ll do this and oh, okay, let’s not waste energy here, let’s go here, let’s go there’. Very calculated that way. Whereas [now] I feel like I don’t need to be that calculated. You can bulldoze these guys… you ain’t getting tired. Why are you not just bulldozing these guys when you actually can? I feel like I could have done this to all of my opponents. Proper bulldoze them.
«[I want to] go straight through these guys. And that’s what I plan on doing this time. I’m gonna go straight through this guy [Lopes].»
Does he expect Lopes to come armed with a different strategy than the all-out attack that failed last April?
«What would he have learned [from the first fight]? Is he going to try and be more patient and try and out-strategise me and all that? I don’t think so. I mean, that’s not how he fights and that’s just going to work in my favour,» Volkanovski says.
«I think he needs to be the same guy, maybe just do a couple things better, be that little bit better at; if you’re going to come forward be a little bit better cutting off and whatnot, I’m expecting him to at least make some adjustments like that.
«But it’s going to be the same Diego. I don’t think too much more is going to change, he’s going to bring the fight and that’s why the fans know they’re in for a treat, he’s going to be that guy every single time, he’s coming to take my head off. Bring it on, but just remember when you do that, you’re in position for me to take yours off, too.»
While focused on Lopes, Volkanovski can’t help but look ahead to what 2026 might deliver. He says a short turnaround is possible, while the highly anticipated Whitehouse card also holds strong appeal. The timing there, providing he is victorious on Sunday, would work, too.
But there is also the reality that one punch could end it all on Sunday. Still, he continues to lap up the constant dialogue that, at 37, he is on borrowed time inside the Octagon.
«I’m happy to talk about it [age], a lot of people are like, why does he keep bringing up that he’s 37 years old? I love it. Again, I want that pressure. I want people thinking I’m old. I am old. But I’m still better than these guys and I’ll show you… I think I can really, really bulldoze these guys, so let’s do it.»
If defeat does come at UFC 325, then Volkanovski’s UFC legacy is secure regardless. A two-time champion, with five featherweight title defences to his name, Volkanovski has endeared himself to the UFC world both inside and outside the Octagon.
He has nothing left to prove.
But having the belt wrapped around his waist in Sydney, in front of so many of his nearest and dearest, after eight years of waiting, would be something truly special — both for Volkanovski and all those who saw him dominate Shane Young on an otherwise long afternoon in 2017.
