Alexander Volkanovski is slowly climbing up to the position of greatest featherweight in UFC history. The 145 lbs champion is relatively smaller compared to some of the modern featherweights like Giga Chikadze, Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez, to name a few.

However, he has a tremendous potential to pack serious muscle mass. It wasn't long ago that the Aussie was a rugby player and weighed around 214 pounds.

In fact, he started fighting to keep himself fit and take the extra weight off his body. He is now the No.1 ranked fighter on the men's P4P list and is considered one of the greatest featherweights of all time.

Volkanovski has previously said that during the pre-season of rugby league, he wanted to stay fit and, to do so, started training in MMA. 'The Great' also corrected Joe Rogan for the UFC color commentator, who often referred to Volkanovski's rugby form as 240 pounds.

Here's what the 34-year-old said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast:

"I actually started MMA as a kid to keep fit while I was playing rugby league. That was when I was 214 pounds. So, that's something that obviously, when I am fighting and you say 240."

Watch Alexander Volkanovski talk to Joe Rogan in the video below:

Alexander Volkanovski is one of the few fighters that have the potential to win titles in two divisions

Volkanovski has taken on a host of big names in the featherweight division and has beaten them. He has won all 13 of his fights in the UFC featherweight division.

He has bettered some of the biggest names in 145-pound history. Victories over Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega and 'The Korean Zombie' showed off his incredible dominance in the weight class.

Volkanovski had an extremely competitive fight against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. However, he ended up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.

A handful of fighters have been champions in two weight classes in the UFC. Alexander Volkanovski has not yet joned that elite club yet but certainly has the potential to do it.

It will be interesting to see if 'The Great' can get the job done in the Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 294. Given the way their first weight played out, the win is certainly conceivable.

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