Alexander Volkanovski let the world in on one of the most raw and emotional moments of his career, standing in front of Joe Rogan after a hard-fought victory at UFC 314 against Diego Lopes. He wasn’t simply speaking as a fighter who had recently reclaimed the featherweight gold; he was speaking as a man who had been through hell and emerged stronger. “It’s good to be back for everyone watching,” Volkanovski added, struggling to contain his emotions. “Hey, adversity is a privilege. You hear people talk about that all the time. It truly is. This moment is incredible.” To many, it would seem like a normal part of a victory speech. However, those statements held more weight than most of the audience understood.
Back in 2023, ‘The Great’ had to deal with demons far more personal than those he faced within the cage. Following two painful losses to Islam Makhachev, including a nasty knockout in their rematch at UFC 294, the Australian featherweight legend found himself in a downward spiral. He revealed in an interview last year that he drank every day throughout that time, using alcohol to deal with emotional stress and uncertainty. “I just wasn’t happy where I was,” he admitted in a candid interview on Freestylebender’s YouTube channel. “The drinking was helping… it was just that time.”
Alexander Volkanovski was not looking for sympathy. If anything, he was attempting to prove that even the strongest of us can fall into dark places—and that it’s okay to admit it. “I’m someone who’s very self-aware… everyone gets vulnerable. Everybody has their moments. I’m okay that people saw me like that.” His choice to take the Makhachev rematch on only 12 days’ notice, while still dealing with internal upheaval, resulted in one of his toughest losses. However, in retrospect, Volkanovski believes that defeat was a blessing in disguise. It forced him to face what he had been running from.
“Adversity is a privilege.” @AlexVolkanovski knows how much he wanted to feel this moment again!
[ #UFC314 ] pic.twitter.com/z9R5i1vIs4
— UFC (@ufc) April 13, 2025
Alexander Volkanovski proved his continued elite status in UFC 314. He took damage, dealt more, and won a unanimous decision against Diego Lopes in a tough, back-and-forth fight. More importantly, he reminded the world that champions are judged not just by their titles, but also by how they handle failure. Now it would be interesting to see who his next opponent will be and how ‘The Great’ manages to fight both his inner demons and the next rival to keep the featherweight gold to himself. This is a developing story.
The post Previously Battling Alcohol Addiction, Alexander Volkanovski Delivers an Emotional Speech in Front of Joe Rogan at UFC 314 appeared first on EssentiallySports.
