Alexander Volkanovski says Mark Zuckerberg is “a top bloke”
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and famed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are buddy-buddy, according to the top 145-pound mixed martial artist.
Volkanovski says that following his fight with Max Holloway, which resulted in him breaking his hand, Zuckerberg reached out to see how he was doing.
“We sort of got started talking after the Max Holloway fight, when he found out I broke my hand,” Volkanovski said on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “He was just like, ‘How do you get through that?’ Things like that. We were just talking about mindset and that’s sort of how it started.
“Then we caught up and that. He’s a top bloke, I’m catching up later with him. Stay tuned for that!”
Zuckerberg made headlines last weekend when he and his wife and some of the Facebook staff attended UFC Vegas 61 at the Apex in Las Vegas, a closed and private event of sorts.
“Yeah, he’s a mate.” “I knew well before he made the appearance at the UFC that he’s a big fan. He loves the sport.
“I do consider him my mate. Again, he’s a cool dude, we get along. I’m actually catching up with him a bit later on in the year. But yeah, cool dude. He knows his stuff, he knows the UFC and all about it.”
Volkanovski recently revealed that he will be the official back-up for this month’s UFC 280 lightweight championship fight between former champion Charles Oliveira (33-8) against Islam Makhachev (22-1) in Abu Dhabi on October 22.
UFC 280 fight card:
Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev – 155 lbs
Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw – 135 lbs
Petr Yan vs. Sean O’Malley – 135 lbs
Beneil Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot – 155 lbs
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Manon Fiorot – 125 lbs
Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady – 170 lbs
Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Lucas Almeida – 145 lbs
Makhmud Muradov vs. Caio Borralho – 185 lbs
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Malcolm Gordon – 125 lbs
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov – 205 lbs
A. Nurmagomedov vs. G. Omargadzhiev – 170 lbs
Armen Petrosyan vs. AJ Dobson – 185 lbs
Lina Länsberg vs. Karol Rosa – 135 lbs
S. Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida – 265 lbs
Yamato Nishikawa vs. Magomed Mustafaev – 155 lbs
