{"id":73361,"date":"2025-04-14T14:27:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T04:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=73361"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:29:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T00:29:59","slug":"volk-and-the-privilege-of-adversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2025\/04\/volk-and-the-privilege-of-adversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Volk and The Privilege of Adversity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s rare for Australia to unite behind one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DIVkx09pqZ7\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\">person in an individual sport.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the most part, we keep things on shore.<\/p>\n<p>We follow the AFL and NRL, and bicker internally over our favourite teams.<\/p>\n<p>Some Sydney freaks might even watch Super Rugby.<\/p>\n<p>Whenever there\u2019s a big event, we\u2019ll unite behind the national teams like the Australian cricket team for The Ashes or the Matildas and Socceroos during a World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Even then, we engage in civil wars over certain players and their spot in the team, the Mitch Marsh discourse springs to mind.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s an extension of the Brett Emerton debates from 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>This is a local, team sport country first and foremost, outside of a few icons.<\/p>\n<p>I was born in 1996 and the first icon I vaguely remember was Cathy Freeman\u2019s 400m in Sydney.<\/p>\n<p>Ian Thorpe is another that springs to mind<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cathy Freeman 400m Sydney Olympics with Bruce McAvaney commentating.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XTCnO5MXvoI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Alexander Volkanovski isn\u2019t quite on the level of Cathy Freeman or Ian Thorpe in terms of the national consciousness, but as a two-time featherweight champion, he\u2019s just as accomplished.<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t his fault, in Australia, MMA is a fringe sport and UFC fans are largely a collection of white guys who wish they could fight (myself included).<\/p>\n<p>I watched Volk\u2019s win against Diego Lopes at the Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Even if, by objective measures, Volk isn\u2019t Cathy Freeman, in that pub for that hour, he was the biggest star in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone rode every exchange.<\/p>\n<p>We exploded when Volk landed his big left hook,<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\ude24 \u2694\ufe0f Slow-mo Volkanovski and Lopes exchanging strikes.<\/p>\n<p>This UFC action camera is so good \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zNGVXVAZd6\">pic.twitter.com\/zNGVXVAZd6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Home_of_Fight\/status\/1911283699187929354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;we cheered when he sent Lopes stumbling,<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">VOLK HAD DIEGO LOPES STUMBLING EARLY \ud83d\ude33 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC314<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QGKO8PsnFM\">pic.twitter.com\/QGKO8PsnFM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espn\/status\/1911282385922244869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>and we gasped when he hit the deck at the end of Round 2.<\/p>\n<p>In every exchange, we groaned and creaked like a dad getting out of a chair.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">aside from a momentary lapse at the end of round 2 that led to a flash knockdown &amp; a slight scare in round 4, this was a 5 round masterclass return to champion form from alex volkanovski<\/p>\n<p>49-46 volk<br \/>most you could give diego lopes is round 2 &amp; 4 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ufc314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ufc314<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HYHvQtJjqJ\">pic.twitter.com\/HYHvQtJjqJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kevin Thang (@Skip2MyJays) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Skip2MyJays\/status\/1911286612916392278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It felt like every time Volk sat in the pocket with Lopes, it was going to end badly for Australia\u2019s greatest active athlete.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>I looked around the pub as Bruce Buffer was reading out the scorecards.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody was waiting for a drink. Staff were arm-in-arm.<\/p>\n<p>It felt like the entire pub had just watched a man walk a tightrope between the Eureka tower and the Rialto building, and we were waiting for him to take the final step.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ALEXANDER THE GREAT REIGNS AGAIN \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n<p>VOLK BEATS DIEGO LOPES BY UNANIMOUS DECISION AT <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC314<\/a> \ud83d\udc4f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fRjrLpxZjf\">pic.twitter.com\/fRjrLpxZjf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SportsCenter\/status\/1911287790932828571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>When Buffer read out the cards and Volk won, the pub exploded, I nearly cried. Staff and patrons hugged.<\/p>\n<p>Volk held his head in his hands and kissed the canvas.<\/p>\n<p>A fighter with as much pluck as anyone, in a business defined by it, did enough to win clearly.<\/p>\n<p>I had it 4-1 Volk. The worst you could possibly have had it is 3-2 for Volk.<\/p>\n<p>He was first to every punch, and he won every exchange on the feet. The only place he didn\u2019t have success was in the takedowns.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This moment of Volk celebrating with his father after becoming UFC champion again \u2764\ufe0f <\/p>\n<p>What it&#39;s all about \ud83d\udc4f  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC314<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uCeUKSpTRW\">pic.twitter.com\/uCeUKSpTRW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SportsCenter\/status\/1911298703610048846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In many ways, it was a masterclass.<\/p>\n<p>He looked mostly like the old Volk, rather than an old Volk.<\/p>\n<p>But it felt closer. It felt like Volk spent the night teetering.<\/p>\n<p>As a Richmond fan, it felt like the Adelaide Grand Final which was over objectively much earlier than it felt.<\/p>\n<p>After he won, Volk told Joe Rogan (in what felt like the post-election Republican Convention) that \u201cadversity is a privilege\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>I disagree.<\/p>\n<p>Adversity, specifically the kind that came with watching Volk beat Lopes, was a f**king nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>Volk is clearly still good enough to mix it with the top guys. He\u2019s again champion of a division that he\u2019s mostly cleared out.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congratulations on an excellent performance, you\u2019re a true champion! Now let\u2019s see what your word is worth! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/alexvolkanovski?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@alexvolkanovski<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UFC314<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MovsarUFC\/status\/1911291743124811797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s still as hard as a diamond &#8211; he apparently fought blind in his left eye from the third round onwards- and he has a distinct skill advantage over most fighters.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Adesanya REVEALS Shocking Injury: Volkanovski Lost Sight in ONE EYE at UFC 314!\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6amocaQAD2U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s technically and mentally brilliant, but physically he\u2019s not the same.<\/p>\n<p>Volk in his prime would have put away a game-but-technically-inept Diego Lopes much sooner than this Volk did.<\/p>\n<p>It was proof of an inexorable truth: we\u2019re closer to the end than we are the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t trust Volkanovski\u2019s chin to stand up in exchanges like it used to.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody in the pub did &#8211; we know his history too well.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ilia Topuria KO&#039;s Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to win the Featherweight Championship! (upset)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ruShsUQy9NM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In the end we were wrong. He proved his greatness again.<\/p>\n<p>But the pub and I watched that whole fight with one hand under our chins, forcing eyes at the TVs while the other hand rested on upset stomachs.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t want our hands to move up to cover our eyes.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t want him to become a fingertips fighter, like Muhammad Ali at the end.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Larry Holmes vs Muhammad Ali \/\/ &quot;The Last Hurrah&quot; (Highlights)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eueRvDLbxq8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Volk himself seems to know it.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time after a win, he was downbeat. He acknowledged that \u201chis best chance [was] catching me\u201d and, crucially, \u201cI know I should be more cheery\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Volk\u2019s Emotional Comeback: Fights Blind, Beats Lopes, and Hints at Movsar Next \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jp28MerkG6M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Volk knows his chin isn\u2019t the same.<\/p>\n<p>For today, a legend is back on top.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s the champ again.<\/p>\n<p>But we saw what it took \u2013 the tightrope walk, the risk.<\/p>\n<p>Please, don\u2019t let the game take more than it already has.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t give it more than you can afford.<\/p>\n<p>For this time and every other time we get, hopefully not too many, thanks Volk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s rare for Australia to unite behind one person in an individual sport. For the most part, we keep things on shore. We follow the AFL and NRL, and bicker internally over our favourite teams. Some Sydney freaks might even watch Super Rugby. Whenever there\u2019s a big event, we\u2019ll unite behind the national teams like the Australian cricket team for The Ashes or the Matildas and Socceroos during a World Cup. Even then, we engage in civil wars over certain players and their spot in the team, the Mitch Marsh discourse springs to mind. He\u2019s an extension of the Brett&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":73375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8298,344,463],"tags":[8638,9898,8260,503,10055],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-73361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guywholikessport","category-sports","category-ufc","tag-alex-volkanovski","tag-blog","tag-guywholikessport","tag-ufc","tag-ufc-314"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":null,"md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"14\/04\/2025","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73361"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87785,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73361\/revisions\/87785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73361"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=73361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}