Australia’s first UFC fighter, Elvis Sinosic, remembers when competing in the sport meant having to defend yourself before you ever stepped into a cage.
Not against an opponent.
Against the suggestion they were all thugs.
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Back when mixed martial arts was prohibited in some states, its athletes were fighting for acceptance and a conversation with the media could feel like another battle.
“Generally they were trying to catch you out and make you look like thugs and troublemakers,” Sinosic told Fox Sports Australia.
Now he sees a sport Australians have embraced, with champions such as Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker becoming names people know well beyond the fight game.
“People are proud to see these guys,” Sinosic said.
“And I am too.”
At local shows, he watches young fighters light up when Volk walks through the door.
They want to meet him. Shake his hand. Grab a photo. Spend a moment with the man who showed how far someone from their corner of the world could go.
And Volk is more than happy to stop.
For Sinosic, who fought for a world title against Tito Ortiz in 2001, those encounters say plenty about the champion preparing to defend his featherweight title against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 this weekend.
So does the way other fighters talk about him – especially the ones who have been in there with him.
This week, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen offered his own verdict.
“We’ve never had a Volkanovski before,” he said.
Whatever happens against Evloev this Sunday, he’s already earned his place among the greats – and the respect of his toughest rivals.
‘LOOK AT WHO HE’S BEATEN’
For Sinosic, Volk’s achievements deserve a bit of perspective.
Winning a UFC championship puts a fighter in very rare company. Defending it repeatedly, then reclaiming it after defeat, takes it up another level.
“He’s defended his belt numerous times, a two-time champion. He’s fought up for the belts in higher weight divisions,” Sinosic said.
“He’s incredible.”
Volk’s record includes a victory over Jose Aldo and three over Max Holloway.
He beat Holloway to win the belt, edged him in a hotly debated rematch, then dominated their third fight.
American Chad Mendes understands the company involved.
He fought Aldo twice, challenged Conor McGregor and finished his UFC career against Volkanovski, who stopped him in December 2018.
Asked about the Windang Warrior’s claim to being the greatest featherweight ever, Mendes pointed to all the evidence.
“The proof is in the pudding – look at who he’s beaten,” Mendes told talkSPORT.
“It wasn’t like fluke wins. He’s got multiple victories over some of the top guys.
“It wasn’t just an off night for someone – it’s happened multiple times.
“So it’s tough to say otherwise.”
Sinosic agrees.
“What he’s achieved is freaking amazing,” he said.
“Even among the people who are already amazing winners within the UFC. There’s only a very few people that you could really compare him against.”
‘THAT IS A GANGSTER MOVE’
Sinosic recognises the instinct behind Volk’s willingness to seek out the toughest fights.
“He’s one of those guys who is a true fighter,” he said.
“There’s a difference between fighters and combat athletes…
“I can see that very same fighting spirit in Volk. He has it in bucketloads.”
Having established himself at featherweight, Volk challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt.
After losing their first fight, he accepted a rematch on short notice.
It ended brutally. Admiring the ambition does not mean every risk was the right one to take.
But his willingness to test himself has rarely been in doubt.
“He’s taking short-notice fights, you know, up weight divisions,” Sinosic said.
“He always wants to challenge himself.”
Sonnen made a similar observation this week after Volkanovski floated a future superfight with Justin Gaethje.
“Volk goes out of his way to fight the hardest guy,” Sonnen said on his YouTube show.
“Volk’s job, to get the most money against the easiest guy, is not something he’s ever done.
“Calling out Justin Gaethje is not fun.
“Being a fighter at the end of his career who is willing to go up in weight class and take on Justin Gaethje. That is a gangster move and you deserve credit for that … and I will make sure that story is told correctly.”
A LIVING LEGEND EVEN IN DEFEAT
Some of the clearest evidence of Volk’s standing came when he was no longer champion.
After Ilia Topuria knocked him out at UFC 298, Rob Whittaker offered a reminder of what remained.
“You’re an absolute living legend.”
Whittaker also encouraged him to rest and spend time with his family.
Volk acknowledged the punch that beat him and credited Topuria. He wanted another opportunity, but recognised what his opponent had done.
After the second Makhachev fight, he had also spoken emotionally about struggling outside the structure of training camp.
Fans had seen what he could withstand inside the cage. They were also seeing the person dealing with everything outside it.
When Volk reclaimed the title, Whittaker saw encouragement for his own pursuit of another belt.
“Especially after seeing Volk win the title back. There’s nothing more inspiring than seeing him win the title back,” Whittaker told Fox Sports Australia.
What gameplan will Volkanovski bring? | 09:01
RIVALS DON’T STAY RIVALS FOR LONG
Fight Volk and there is a fair chance you will end up getting along with him. Maybe even cooking with him.
Makhachev beat him twice. Topuria took his featherweight championship. Holloway spent three fights trying to get the better of him.
Yet there’s never any hard feelings.
Speaking to MMA Junkie in July 2025, Makhachev singled out Volkanovski as one of the only fighters in the entire sport that he liked.
“I respect two guys: Volkanovski and Dustin. They’re really nice guys. I send them messages.”
The friendship now includes an invitation for Volk to visit Dagestan, where the pair have discussed training and hunting together.
With Topuria, there have been also friendly reunions and plans to catch up in Spain for an episode of Cooking with Volk.
“We were going to catch up, and then I was going to do some Cooking with Volk with him,” Volkanovski recently told TMZ Sports.
“I want to make this a thing with all my past oppoents.”
Even Holloway, the man whose championship he took, has joked about catching up with the Aussie again to hang out.
THE MAN WHO HASN’T CHANGED
Sinosic still teaches and coaches at Kings Academy in Sydney’s southwest.
At local shows, he sees the response when Volk rocks up.
“The fighters are just so excited, so happy to meet him,” he said.
“And he’s so down to earth and happy to see these people.”
Having dealt with both Volkanovski and Whittaker before and after they became famous, Sinosic values what has stayed the same.
“They haven’t let the fame go to their heads,” he said.
“They’re good people.
“They treat MMA as a challenge, a physical, competitive sporting challenge, rather than an opportunity to hurt someone.
“They’re out there to win. They do a wonderful job representing Australia.”
Audiences have also seen more of Volkanovski’s personality.
The cooking. The humour. The willingness to laugh at himself.
Those things offer a connection beyond the fighting, helping explain why his popularity travels beyond national loyalties.
“Volk has been dominant during his run, extremely skilled, but a really nice guy out of the cage, didn’t change who he was, and people really respect that,” Sinosic said.
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‘WE ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HIM’
Evloev will be another tough test, and beating him would only strengthen Volkanovski’s case as one of the greats.
But even a loss won’t undo what he’s achieved – or the respect he’s earned along the way.
“There is nothing anyone could say that could ever not portray him as a winner – and one of the greatest winners of all time,” Sinosic said.
“I have no doubt that one day he’s going to be in the UFC Hall of Fame.”
For the man who remembers defending his sport to a hostile audience, there are also those encounters at local shows.
Young fighters meeting a world champion who is just as pleased to meet them, too.
“We are very lucky to have him.”
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