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Alexander Volkanovski has long been a fan of the popular medieval fantasy drama, Game of Thrones.
A large section of the show's fanbase took issue with how it ended in season eight. There were millions of complaints from the audience and even a petition to HBO to re-shoot the finale. Fans were massively disappointed with the arcs the characters took, especially that of Daenerys Targaryen. They were unhappy with the final fate of the likes of Jon Snow as well.
Turns out, Alexander Volkanovski was one of them all along.
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In Alex Behunin's Humanizing Athletes series, 'The Great' recently revealed that Game of Thrones is his favorite TV show, but he felt let down by the final season. He named the Harry Potter franchise as his favorite movies.
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Volkanovski had referred to the show during one of his earlier UFC fights as well. He walked out for his UFC 221 fight against Jeremy Kennedy in 2018 to the Game of Thrones title song. He won the fight via second-round TKO.
Volkanovski featured on the preliminary card of the pay-per-view event held at the RAC Arena in Perth, the same venue where he's set to challenge for the lightweight belt against Islam Makhachev this weekend.
However, after the disappointment of the last season, Volkanovski swore off using the theme as his walkout song.
"David versus Goliath" - Can Alexander Volkanovski's next fight become his GOAT moment?
Alexander Volkanovski's next opponent, Islam Makhachev, has amassed a certain invincibility around him - one that is certainly comparable to his Dagestani predecessor Khabib Nurmagomedov.
However, Volkanovski is not one to be easily dissuaded. The man has never once shied away from a fight, even if that meant proving himself three times against the same opponent.
Ahead of UFC 284, Volkanovski spoke of Makhachev's deemed invincibility to UFC.com:
"I just want people to remember how they look at Islam now, and the last thing I want is for people to change the narrative. Remember guys, this is David versus Goliath. This is me stepping up to face Khabib 2.0 and all that kind of stuff. I don’t want people taking this away from my legacy.”
Come February 12, Volkanovski will put his No.1 pound-for-pound ranking on the line, while Makhachev wagers his lightweight crown.
When asked if he was considering this fight to be one that goes on to define him as one of the greatest of all time, the Australian agreed.
