Alexander Volkanoski has claimed that he attempted to break up a massive post-UFC 304 brawl and ended up falling to his knees amid the chaos.
The Australian arrived in Manchester, UK, to enjoy an evening of world-class mixed martial arts, but got more than he bargained for when things kicked off at the hotel.
Alexander Volkanoski claims he witnessed a post-UFC 304 brawl
On a night UK combat sports fans won’t ever forget, inside the 23,500-seater Co-op Arena, Belal Muhammad produced a monumental upset over Leon Edwards to claim the welterweight title, while Tom Aspinall rendered Curtis Blaydes unconscious to prove himself as the most terrifying heavyweight on the planet.
But while Alexander Volkanovski caught all the action from cageside, it was at the hotel after the scheduled entertainment ended where bedlam ensued.
With the event wrapped up, ‘The Great’ thought he was going to head back to his room to catch up on some sleep. However, before he had chance to do so, the athlete claims two individuals clashed, forcing him to try and calm the situation down.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, he explained: “I don’t know if I should even bring it up. I don’t know; maybe I won’t bring it up. You guys are gonna hate me for that. I won’t say who was involved, but I’ll tell you a little bit.”
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He continued, “Something happened in the lobby between two guys. One was a fighter; I don’t know if the other guy was a fighter. I don’t think he was random, but stuff happened.
“There might have been a little punch thrown. The other guy tried to get to him. Security tried to stop it. I’m like, ‘It’s not worth it, it’s not worth the cops’. I’m trying to stop it.”
In the end, Volkanovski explains he had no choice but to put his body on the line, hitting the floor in his effort to contain the violence.
The former featherweight champion added: “Guys were stepping and getting around all the security guards. I was trying to help, but he stepped around me as well. I’m like, ‘This guy has got some good movement’.
“He’s going again. I’m trying to tell him to ‘chill out’. Again, he’s come on; I’ve tried to grab him. We almost ran into the bottom of the stairs, so we sort of went down. I fell to my knees. As I’m trying to hold him, he slipped out. I was like, ‘This guy is very slippery’.
“There would have been a few security guards trying to stop him, he just found his way around, even I was falling off him. I don’t know if there will be footage of that coming out, so I’m not going to say any names.
“But if they do, you might see that. It’s pretty funny. See if there’s footage out there. If there’s not, you’ll never know who it is, and I’m sorry. I’m thinking, ‘nah’, I’m not going to say any names. Sorry guys, I’m going to get in trouble.”
Alexander Volkanoski says Belal Muhammad got ‘salty’ after a misunderstanding
The UFC 304 hotel brawl isn’t the only interesting story the Aussie has told this week.
Prior to Muhammad’s crowning moment on Saturday night, Volkanovski confessed that he’d clashed with ‘Remember the Name’ over a missed call.
The 35-year-old branded the 170-pounder ‘salty’ over how he reacted to the supposedly simple error.
In an interview, the ex-pound-for-pound number one explained the whole story from his point of view, elaborating on how the welterweight reacted, why it took him by surprise and where he stands with the American now.
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