Alex Volkanovski has tussled with "monster" rugby league front rowers and even won a premiership, but says a UFC featherweight title shot is much bigger than dreams of an NRL Grand Final.
The NZ-trained Aussie challenges American Max Holloway at UFC 245 in Las Vegas on Sunday, played the 13-man code for several years in his native Australia.
The 31-year-old from New South Wales' South Coast was man of the match in Warilla's 2011 Group Seven Grand Final-winning team, before switching to mixed martial arts the following year.
Volkanovski still calls Australia home, but trains at Auckland's City Kickboxing Gym, under Eugene Bareman.
His training partners include UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, lightweight contender Dan Hooker and highly ranked heavyweight boxer Junior Fa.
Five straight UFC wins from November 2016 to December 2018 earned Vokanovski a marquee fight against former featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes - his first fight under Bareman's guidance.
Mendes was dispatched in round two, setting up a title eliminator against long-time champion Jose Aldo. Volkanovski produced a near-perfect three-round performance against the Brazilian in enemy territory to book his shot at the Hawaiian sensation Hollaway.
"It's taken three years for me to get this title [shot], every fight feels like a Grand Final, but a title fight just feels so much bigger," Volkanovski told AAP. "This is just huge, massive, this is what I've been waiting for."
Describing himself as a "five foot six [1.65m] front-rower with a very very big head", Volkanovski got up to 97kg in his rugby league days, but has shed more than 30kg to compete as a featherweight.
Holloway is 12cm taller, but Volkanovski's time in league means he's no stranger to coming up against far bigger specimens.
"I'm used to these big guys, playing football against monster front-rowers guys that were way bigger than me back then, but I handled myself more than okay," Volkanovski said.
"Now I get to fight these little featherweights."
Volkanovsi showed promise as a league player.
"I was in a lot of rep sides when I was younger, but I didn't take it seriously enough," he said. "I lost some opportunities, my fault.
"A lot people that knew me knew I was a very handy player. A lot of people thought I was mad when I gave it up, but look where I am now."
He said he had adjusted well to the time difference since arriving in Las Vegas last Saturday.
Volkanovski has already met Holloway since arriving and expected there would be mutual respect rather than trash talk between them in the lead-up to the fight.
"We've not really had proper conversations, we said 'hello' this morning," Volkanovski said.
"Nothing but respect to the guy, but I've got a job to do and unfortunately, I'm going to have to punch his face on Saturday night."
Should 'The Great' claim victory on Sunday, City Kickboxing Gym would become the first camp outside Brazil and the United States to house two UFC champions at the same time.
AAP/Newshub
Join us on Sunday for live updates of UFC 245, including Volkanovski v Holloway
