Just how popular is Alexander Volkanovski? Fans widely regard ‘The Great’ as one of the greatest featherweights of all time, thanks to his five title defenses that pushed him into the spotlight. But beyond building a fan base through standout performances inside the Octagon, ‘Volk’ has also created another alter ego that is now outshining the UFC 325 stars in pure stardom. 

At the second Paramount+ CBS event, several well-known UFC fighters are set to compete at Qudos Bank Arena. Alongside the main attraction, Alexander Volkanovski, stars like Diego Lopes, Dan Hooker, and Benoit Saint-Denis are also featured on the card. However, when it comes to popularity away from the cage, the reigning featherweight champion’s secondary account, Cooking with Volk on Instagram, sits above the rest at the top spot with 1.3M followers. 

Alexander Volkanovski’s ‘Cooking With Volk’ leads UFC 325 fighters in Instagram followers

“There isn’t a SINGLE fighter on tomorrow’s UFC 325 card with more Instagram followers than Alex Volkanovski’s “Cookin with Volk” page. It currently has 1.3M followers. Volk is set up for life after fighting 👨‍🍳👏 ,” Popular MMA social media page, ACD MMA, posted on X.  

For the unversed, Alexander Volkanovski also runs a cooking channel across his social media platforms. Under the name Cooking with Volk, the featherweight champion shares mouthwatering recipes that have built a massive following over the years. The page now boasts over one million followers, while ‘The Great’s personal Instagram account sits at 3.1 million, giving him a combined audience that few on the roster can match. Plus, the ‘Cooking with Volk’ YouTube channel has over 185K subscribers.

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Looking at the fighters trailing behind Volk’s alter ego page, Diego Lopes comes the closest with 958K followers. Next is lightweight fan favorite Dan Hooker, who has around 930K followers on Instagram. Rounding out the group is former French military soldier Benoit Saint-Denis, who has built an impressive following of 842K on the platform.   

Now, as we can see that Alexander Volkanovski is already the most popular star among the UFC 325 fighters, it is very possible that his reach continues to grow. ‘The Great’ clearly understands that and is already taking steps to grab that opportunity.  

‘The Great’ sensing a knockout against Diego Lopes 

In the UFC 325 main event, the reigning featherweight champion will face a familiar opponent in Diego Lopes as the two meet again in a rematch. Last year in Miami, ‘The Great’ delivered an exciting performance, defeating the Brazilian by unanimous decision to reclaim the 145 lbs title for the second time. With Volkanovski set to face the same foe once again, fans are expecting another close and competitive fight. The champion, however, sees it differently.

“Obviously, footwork and that’s going to be a massive thing. There’s going to be a couple of changes. But yeah, I think we see the same performance. But I do really want to get a finish. I think I can hurt him. If I hurt him and get him to the ground, whatever it is. If his chin is that good, the ref’s going to have to stop it eventually, right?” ‘The Great,’ said at the UFC 325 ceremonial weigh-in.

Volkanovski knocked down Diego Lopes in the first round of their UFC 314 fight. But as the fight heated up, the Brazilian powerhouse fired back with a sharp one-two combination that scored a knockdown of his own and kept the pressure on for the rest of the bout. So while the FW champion is confident about knocking out his opponent this time, he also needs to be cautious about his opponent’s counter-puncher, especially when his back is against the Octagon.

Still, if Volkanovski manages to win against Lopes in Australia, the champion could see another surge in popularity, with his Instagram following climbing even higher. That said, do you think the 37-year-old can pull off that dream scenario? Let us know in the comments section below.