SUMMARY
- Alexander Volkanovski has solidified his status as one of the all-time greats in MMA.
- Despite being frequently remarked for his lower height, Volkanovski compensates with a high fight IQ and impressive body strength.
Alexander Volkanovski is one of the names that resonates with every MMA fan today. The First Australian-born fighter to win a UFC championship has fought all odds against his favor, to cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats. He holds five successful title defenses and the second-most title fight wins in UFC Featherweight division history.
The Champion also holds the longest current active title reign and was ranked UFC Men’s Pound-For-Pound No. 1 in 2022 and 2023. Even with such accomplishments, Volkanovski is often remarked for his comparably lower height than his opponents. His height was often raised as a concern which at 5’6 with a reach of 71.5 inches is lower than the average height of the featherweight division at 5’9.
Alexander Volkanovski currently holds the longest active UFC championship reign 🏆
Where do you rank Volk among the greatest champs ever? #UFC298 pic.twitter.com/ZIz48qT9e4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 14, 2024
Although even with a visible disadvantage the Austrailian makes it up from his high fight IQ and body strength cleaning out the entire current division so far. The shortest UFC champion in history has been another Legend of the game Demetrious Johnson at 5’3 with 11 title defenses in the flyweight division. Both of the UFC icons are pretty good examples of talent and hard work, making up for their disadvantages.
Alexander Volkanovski’s height compared to former UFC Featherweight Champions
Let’s have a look at the former UFC champions in the featherweight division and a height comparison to Alexander Volkanovski.
1. Jose Aldo
Aldo is up in the debate among all-time greats, as well as the clear favorite greatest UFC featherweight champion. The Brazilian mixed martial artist is 5’7 with a reach of 70 inches and holds the most successful title defenses in UFC featherweight history.
He is also in the UFC Hall of Fame under the Modern wing, Class of 2023. Just like Alexander, Aldo too had a disadvantage when it came to facing bigger opponents. The black belt in BJJ was the first UFC Featherweight Champion following the UFC/WEC merger. Volkanovski faced Aldo at UFC UFC 237 winning via decision after 3 close rounds.
2. Conor McGregor
The biggest name in the game Conor McGregor also started his career at featherweight. McGregor went through heavyweight cutting during his time in the weight class due to his higher natural weight. This did give him an advantage over shorter opponents in maintaining distance and controlling fights.
Conor stood at 5’8 with a significant upper hand in reach at 74 inches. This even helped him win his first UFC title in the division against Jose Aldo at the iconic UFC 194 13-second KO.
3. Max Holloway
The tallest among the UFC featherweight champions would be Max Holloway at 5’11. Although having a height advantage Holloway holds a reach of 69 inches, lower than the other featherweights.
He is currently the #1 in UFC featherweight rankings. Max defeated Jose Aldo twice to secure the belt at UFC 212 and UFC 218. Coincidentally he also lost thrice to the current champion Volkanovski UFC 245, UFC 251, and UFC 276 ending his chance to keep the featherweight gold.
