I love how Volk glances over at Jaime from time to time when he’s talking. To make him feel part of the conversation. He’s such a respectful dude. You honestly can’t hate the guy! Hope nothing but success for him.
Being an Aussie myself, im proud of this kid. Its too bad Australia don’t throw enough support behind it’s fighters. This bloke is a great role model for aussie kids.
The majority of Aus sports media are dinosaurs who talk about MMA like it was 1995. It's changing, slowly but fuck me these fossils need to open their minds.
@@no-sparringholloway yeah I hate when fans say they’re proud of a fighter. You did nothing to contribute to their success and have literally nothing to be proud of lmao. Just say you’re happy for them
Wrestles for a year wins championship. Rugby league championship. Player of the match. MMA fights during Rugby. Now MMA champion. Let’s just say phenomenal.
Proof that it's never too late if you want to pick up the game if that's something you re constantly thinking about but think you re too late to do it at the highest levels.
Dorohedoro no. He was a world class athlete to begin with. I’m sure anyone can win a fight in a smaller circuit given they’ve had enough time to train and what not. But to think anyone can be a ufc champion because they put their mind and time towards it is ridiculous.
@@JH-jc2jt Yeah exactly. You might still be able to get to a high level from nothing, but not the highest. You have to have started from a place that allows you to compete.
Also tells you something about his early fights. If he's 214 as a forward in Rugby League (guessing he was a prop) and is doing mma matches on the side, then there is no way he's cutting weight like mad in fights. He must have been fighting middle or light heavyweights as a 5'6 guy and winning. No wonder he's so strong when he drops to featherweight to hold guys like Jose Aldo to the cage and have him look like he can't do anything.
@@josephbovington4468 guess it helps with the low centre of gravity but that’s not very heavy for a prop though I’m not sure of his actual height so I may be wrong
@@josephbovington4468 look at the tualagi brothers in union, he could of been a centre, he did say he scored a 40m try in his last game so its plausible
Sudden feeling to travel internationally knowing you have coronavirus but you think "oh fuck it, if i die they die so i might aswell take some with me".
It's just the way we are, I live in europe now having never left for 30 years and people here find the AU/NZ honesty to be jarring. It took me years to tone it down haha
People like volk who didn't start training mma until their adult life give me hope. I'm 25 and feel like it's too late but I also feel like it's now or never. I have a boxing background and I've always been physically gifted.
Do it lad I’ve been in the same thinking as you bro I’m 20 and I think it’s too late 😂 started training just before Christmas never felt better brother
I wish more people would start discovering Rugby League. I honestly feel that it's a good blend between traditional Rugby and American Football. Something that anyone could watch and understand.
@@Tom-vu1wr 100%! nfl has a similar turnover structure to bro, only that it's a much slower process. It would surprise me if nfl fans watch a game or two and don't grasp the concept
Would rather watch nfl. NFL players are gods compared to rugby players. Imagine pro bowl linemen, 6ft6 over 300’pounds running 4.6-4.7 40 yrd dash playing rugby lmfao ...or imagine Tyreek hill....he’d legit run circles around the other team
@@tonygaertner8863 imagine those players transitioning to an NRL field and outperforming there. I get that there are players in nfl that are physical freaks, but the sport doesn't allow them to diversify their skillset to the level that league and even union does.
@@tonygaertner8863 I think you need to learn more about rugby. Guys aren't 300 pounds because they have to run around for 80 straight minutes. NFL lineman can have like 4 plays and then a 20 minute rest.
As an Aussie I love Volkanovski, but being an Australian wrestling champion, is like saying you're the best ice hockey player in Madagascar, you just can't compare.
@@Soldier_Sean Reading and comprehension failed. I said being an Australian wrestling champion doesn't mean much. I didn't mention anything about being UFC champ.
I don't think people realize how insane this is, he is like 5'6 height, and was at 214. He fought at 185, which is insane, for anyone who hasn't trained MMA, depending on your body type since some people bulk up easier than others, it is very difficult to be that height and put on that amount of mass and KEEP IT while training MMA, because there is so much cardio involved in everything we do during our training, we burn tons of calories. So it is extremely interesting to me how he managed to be 5'6 and that stay at that weight, if he was 5'10 or taller, then it would make sense, since the taller you are the more weight you can generally hold since you have a bigger body.
185 doesn't sound too insane to me. I did a summer of MMA style training and stayed around that weight at 5ft9, while limiting my calories. Was my first year really doing any sport and stayed at something under a comfy 18% bodyfat. 214 at that height seems nuts and hard to believe he was natural sprinting all day with that mass. But then again he looks over 20% bodyfat in those times so that seems plausible. I'm from the same country his dad comes from and can say that Balkan dudes can get thick. Must be the diet idk *shrug*
@@kkech1 5'9 and 5'6 is very different, I'm 5'9 too but for a 5'6 dude to maintain that kind of mass, its pretty uncommon especially considering so much of it was mainly muscle mass even though it may have been 20% body fat. I rarely see even online many 5'6 guys getting THAT size
@@symbol767 I'm 5.6 ...not lanky build have the frame of a 5.8/5.9 footer but I have to eat like 4000 calories to maintain 75 kilos while training twice a day ...Volk probably ate a shit load to keep that mass
We play two versions of rugby in Australia and essentially the hits are all body. The version he played, Rugby League is pretty much 10-20 yard wind up runs and hits. My body is messed up from playing Union, scoliosis, dislocated shoulders, multiple hospital visits after the games. You need to be very tough at that level he was playing
I hope Joe Rogan understands the difference between Rugby League and Rugby Union 🤙 it would be great to see him go into depth on the difference, for the sake of educating Americans
@@ShiNooBi1986 definitely more damaging to the body but the players aren't nearly as big in the forwars because league is so much more mobile/evenly distributed than union.
Yup that’s a great debate that I’d love to see Joe Rogan go into depth on! I think there’s a certain toughness for a union 7 battling out ruck after ruck, tackle after tackle.
That doesn't mean that you have tge aesthetics to win. The shape of your muscles matter in bodybuilding not just your weight. Anyone can get to that weight at that height at the bodyfat he was at, it's just not common.
@@benpotter6832 Aesthetics don't matter when you're 5'6, you will never win an Olympia. OP was simply talking about mass on frame, I imagine he is aware that you have to look good to win a comp dummy.
@@Eddy-dn1jx Jeff Fenech was a world champion boxer from Australia in the 80's. It's pronounced Fenik, Joe pronounced it Fenitch. He has cult hero status here, and a fun fact, he cornered Mike Tyson in Tyson's last ever pro bout.
@chubbyurma u must not be very agile if ur gettin clothlined.. 90% of the time a concussion is from a knee to the head on a wrong form tackle. I'm not saying rugby isnt a physical game because it is the next up to football. But ther is a hugeee fucking difference in terms of hits to head
I love Joe doing full podcasts with fighters. you get to see them talking comfortably about real important things to them. a lot more in depth than embedded
Alex just summed up why MMA is the first sport I ever got into at a fairly late age: the one-on-one aspect. I can't follow teams, I don't like how a team can just lose because one player isn't on the field. The new generation of UFC, with lower weight classes and female fighters, caught my attention.
AV played Rugby League in a semi pro league. He was a long ,long,way from top grade here. Top grade players in his position are as much as 120 kg or 264 pounds.& 6f 2 to 6 4 He held down his spot by being really busy & really tough.& having what we call “ a big motor” . Aerobic capacity the determination to be a part of every play.He has a work ethic that’s really at the core of what he is. It’s going to take a hell of a fighter to beat him.
Lol. Rugby is different from rugby league. Also - he was semi professional rugby league player (at best) wasn’t in the highest comp. For him to give it up to chase MMA is not a big deal.
jimmyonebomb I understand, but I think there is a high chance that Joe is referring to rugby union not rugby league when he says this is what America should play. Given he is no expert on it so take it with a grain of salt.
I know plenty of lads that play local Sunday league rugby and many could have gone pro. There isn't much money in the sport especially rugby league. Rugby players have a natural talent for fighting and take hits like it's nothing.
Your so right Joe football players are wreckeless due to the padding they have so they do more extreme tackling with no technique. Rugby players have rules and technique you have to follow. For example to make a tackle in rugby you learn what side to tackle with depending on how the opponent is running. You also go through feet positions and head positions so you don’t get knocked out.
There’s plenty of technique in NFL tackling. Some examples would be.. to prevent extra yards being gained on a run you hit them low and wrap up both legs when you make the tackle. To force a fumble you can make your helmet contact the football when you put a hit on the runner to pop it out of their arms. When you come from behind or the side of the runner you can tackle by the waist and simultaneously use a hand to attempt to strip the football before they are down. When a receiver attempts to catch a pass the cornerbacks making reads and trying to time a solid hit right as it touches their hands so you can force the incomplete pass. Too early on that and you get pass interference which marks the ball where it would have been caught so it’s risky but effective when done right. Can’t target the head during a tackle or that’s a 15 yard penalty and potential ejection from the game depending the severity or repeat offense. When you’re a 180 lbs player having to tackle 250+ lbs fullbacks running full speed at you like a truck you need technique because the physics are not in your favor. As you can see it seems we have some rules and techniques involved with NFL tackling.
Bruh, I played rugby for two weeks and was confused the whole time 😂😂😂 that's what happens when your friends pressure you into a sport you have no idea about
Ikiguy the game he’s referring to is rugby league which is way easier to understand than traditional rugby union. Really good game to watch, I wish the USA would get more into it
Last year, i saw my first rugby-game in Georgia. It was Scotland vs. Georgia and i loved it. I thought by myself: Man, i would love to see this guys in the UFC.
I played rugby from age 9 in South Africa and I have always thought the big difference between rugby and American football is around the tackle point. In rugby there are very strict rules about how you are allowed to tackle. So that minimizes the risk in my opinion.
@@opetaiaseni1955 yeah, I get that. But I still think there is a difference in tackling style. Some footballers go head first. In rugby league the big collisions are insane but tacklers are not getting their heads stuck in.
you have NRL the top league, they have a reserve grade, teams that play in NSW cup and QLD cup. then you have the lower grade local competitions that act as feeder clubs to the NRL and if youre good in the local comp you will get a go in a reserve grade team of an NRL team and hope to get a shot in the top team. Volk was playing in his local comp
There has been a serious increase in traumatic head injury in rugby too. What they did was change the regulations. Now if you you receive any type of impact to the head, no matter how small, you are taken out of the game for an HIA (head injury assessment) and a temporary substitute can be put on in ur place. If you fail you aren't allowed back on, if you are knocked out there is no HIA you are just substituted. This takes the decision out of the player's hands. 90% of players would usually play on otherwise, its sorta seen as a weakness is you don't. They also changed some of the rules making any blow to the head in a tackle/ruck, any tackle about shoulder height and any tackle where the player lands on their head a red card. It was rugby union that did this initially but I think its the same in league now too
You seen the vicious kicks that rugby players eat in the face during melees? 214 or 240 these are not the lads you want to face off against during pub night
Man I'm 6'4 and 235 pounds, the amount of punishment you receive and hand out on a weekly is brutal. In each team there would be 5 guys taller and bigger than myself. You start playing at the age of 8, so you get used to it. But my body is paying for it now!
I'm 5'8" 160 and most people I play against are massive compared to me. But it teaches u how to tackle well, and how to get low to knock em over. Even as a back I get mangled but I love the game. Im in Oklahoma it's not very popular here.
How did you even mistake him saying 214 for 240? I understand there similar and maybe because I’m British and are accents have similarities but I understood him clear as day 😂
I played American football before I played Rugby in College. I learned extremely fast that you can’t hit people the same way you do in American football. Joe hit the nail on the head. There is an illusion of safety with helmets and pads, so players hit each other in a way you just can’t do in Rugby without breaking every bone in your body.
Mark Deeming Depends where you’re from, here in Hull rugby means league, you have to specify union if that’s what you’re talking about, not that you would - start talking about rugby union at work here is a good way of ensuring no one will sit near you at lunch time.
Howling Mad Murdock yeah but in Australia we tend to just call Rugby League “footy/football” like this guy does here. So you just use “League” as a shorthand on occasion, but you generally don’t call union “football” here
I live in a city with a lot of Aussie/South African/Brits, and over here (at least in the amateur league) you get a lot of shorter guys playing rugby built exactly like Volkanovski. These guys have a distinct advantage in some regards because their center of gravity is lower making them WAY harder to tackle, and they're super quick.
Played Rugby League growing up in Sydney from age 5 through to age 18. Had the most fun times of my life, won premierships and made great mates. But the injuries catch up with you. I am now 44 and both shoulders need reconstructions, I have a disc bulging in my lower back, already had one knee reconstruction, now need the other done. Got knocked out at least 5 times, concussed probably 20. Not looking forward to the effects of those concussions and knockouts as I enter my 50s and 60s. Doubt I will make 70s.
Having played both rugby and American football, I can say that I always thought rugby was safer simply because of the pads, and the lack of forward blocking like in football. The pads almost make you feel invincible, like a false sense of power or safety, also the way we tackled in rugby was almost like a double leg takedown, vs how they taught us to tackled in football, almost throwing out bodies at our opponents. The helmets also restrict visibility and a lot of the dangerous hits in football come when the ball carrier doesn’t see the tackle coming. It’s also WAY easier to juke, cut, jump, dodge, or stiff arm someone with no pads on.
EJ RO28 bro I’m talking from experience, I’m talking about football in general, I’ve been in pads, talked to people who’ve also worn pads, they agree, the pads give you a false sense is security. and the hardest hit I’ve ever taken was in a Rugby game, you can get hit hard in either sport, you can get hit hard in hockey, the only difference is the surface you play on, and the equipment you wear. Football pads make do give you a false sense of security, and also exacerbate impacts. unless you’ve played both rugby and football, I really don’t care about your opinion. I’m not here to argue about a sport with someone who hasn’t even played it.
