Alexander Volkanovski is the greatest fighter in Australian MMA history and the undisputed UFC featherweight champion, but he didn't feel like a world champion until the moment he very nearly lost his title.
The fighting pride of the Illawarra — who takes on Korean veteran Chan Sung Jung around 2pm AEST on Sunday at UFC 273 in Jacksonville — had always felt like a champion inside the Octagon. That came easy.
"Doing my thing inside the cage, I've always had that down pat. Filling the shoes of a champion outside the cage, that's something I had to learn," Volkanovski said.
"I have my own tall-poppy syndrome. I'd always pull myself down. If I saw one negative comment, I would think everyone thought that. It changed after the [Brian] Ortega fight."
The Ortega win was not Volkanovski's greatest triumph — that has to be his first victory over Max Holloway. It wasn't even his narrowest victory — the second fight with Holloway takes that prize.
But it was the closest he's come to losing. Volkanovski won just about every minute of the fight, except for 40-odd seconds where the opportunistic Ortega nearly subdued him: Once with a guillotine, and once with a triangle. They were tight, and they were deep, but both times Volkanovski managed to escape.
"People know about my resilience, my heart, but it was good for the world to see it. I got put in a dangerous position, which might be a negative, but it was a positive because of what it showed about me," Volkanovski said.
"That's why I'm so happy with how that fight went. Even when he landed a couple of shots right at the end, it added to the story, it added to the hype. It helped make it a fight people are going to remember.
"Could I have avoided those positions? Probably. But I wanted to have a little dance with him, because I knew I could.
"It got people talking. It got me in a better position than what I was before the fight. The hairy moments, it added to the story, it added to the hype and, when you talk about legacy and having your name in the history books, you need moments.
"You want people to remember things. I want to look after my family forever, and having big fights like that will do it … as long as you don't lose."
Volkanovski had his hand raised for his second successful title defence, but the fight-of-the-year contender changed something in the 33-year old.
He had already achieved so much — his two wins over Holloway, plus a victory over Jose Aldo, means he's a title defence or two away from entering greatest featherweight of all time discussions — and he was never afraid of anything but himself, and staring defeat in the eye showed him there was nothing to fear inside his own head any more.
"After that, I felt comfortable being myself. I don't need to be someone the haters want me to be. I want to wear that crown, own that belt and not feel bad for saying, 'I'm the champ' or feeling guilty [about] saying how good I am. I worked hard for this and it ain't a lie," Volkanovski said.
"I was pulling myself down. I didn't feel like I was appreciating it. People would see me and recognise me, but I would forget about it and only focus on the negative. I'd judge myself on what people thought was the worst of me.
"I wouldn't enjoy someone wanting to shake my hand [when] walking down the street, because I'd judge myself off negative people and that's what I'd hang on to. But, f**k that. That's only a small percentage of people. They don't matter.
"These sorts of problems, everyone has them. You can have a world championship belt on you and still feel vulnerable about these things. It's the way we look at things. Who cares if someone wants to be negative? That says more about them. I want people to really understand that.
"It's going to be there, even if you're a world champion, even if you're the baddest motherf****r on the planet. It's easier said than done but, once you accept it, once you're OK with it, it'll change your life.
"I don't second guess what I see. The freedom I have in there is f***ing incredible."
Now Volkanovski is going to use that freedom to get what he wants, and he wants it all: The biggest fights, the longest title reign, the richest contracts, a belt in another weight class, a fight with Conor McGregor. Everything you can imagine, he wants it.
As far as they are concerned down his way, he could already walk across Lake Illawarra if he wanted. They've named his local pub after him for this weekend but, if he accomplishes all his goals, they'll carve his likeness on the side of Bulli Pass. He wants everything, and he's backing himself to take it, starting with Jung on Saturday.
Jung is no easy out. Better known as "The Korean Zombie" for his incredible durability, Jung has been a stalwart at the top end of featherweight for almost 10 years.
But Volkanovski is a heavy favourite to dispatch the Seoul man and he wants to do it in devastating fashion. He says he's never been so devastating in training, which every fighter says before they enter the cage.
This time it might not be all talk. Eugene Bareman — the genius behind renowned Auckland gym City Kickboxing — agreed when he came to Volkanovski's place for a session during camp.
"He was great, like always, but I don't need them to tell me I look good for me to feel good, but before I had to hear that because I didn't have the confidence," Volkanovski said.
"He thinks I'm the sharpest he's ever seen me. Other people are noticing it, but do I care if other people didn't? No, I wouldn't. That's the secret.
"I don't know how I used to find it. I used to search for that s**t. Now I have it all the time."
Another thing fighters always say is how badly they want to push for the finish, the knockout, the submission, the spectacular moment of triumph.
Volkanovski used to say it and not believe it. But the Ortega fight showed him that dominant victories are good for the legacy, but dramatic moments, either of victory or near defeat, are even better.
It's like a matador: It's easier to stay out of the way of the horns, but get as close as you can to being gored and, even if you get nicked a couple of times, the crowd will love you all the more for it.
"Every time, you say you want to go out there and finish him. That's what people want to hear, and that's the only reason I'd say it," Volkanovski said.
"I'm not saying it because of them, I'm saying [it] because this is what I want, what I see and what I expect: I expect to finish him inside three rounds. There's just going to be too many things I can capitalise on.
"The knowledge I have, at my peak condition, it's all coming together. I'd be surprised if I don't do that and I'll be disappointed if I don't do that.
"I want to show him he is further down the line. I am levels above. I want this to be exciting because I put a beating on him and finishing him. He's been in the game for a long time, he's been a top contender for a long time. A win over the Zombie is still a win over the Zombie."
Should Volkanovski defeat Jung, the natural next step is a third fight with Holloway. The two are clearly the best featherweights in the world. Were it not for a Holloway injury, they'd be having it out a third time in Jacksonville, with more than just a title on the line.
"One thing I've been pretty vocal about is that I'm the one who was asking for the trilogy. Why? I wanted to prove something to the haters, even though Max didn't want it," Volkanovski said.
"He was talking about other fights, money fights. He doesn't really care about the belt, but I was like, 'F**king let's go again'. Why was I doing that? For the wrong reasons.
"I still want that fight for legacy, pay per views, money, hype, all the benefits it will bring to me, that's why you should make that decision, not just to shut people up.
"That's the difference. I don't have anything to prove. It's on him. I've got Zombie to worry about and, if these top guys aren't fighting each other, it's going to have to be Max.
"I want the top guy, the one who will sell the most and give the biggest fight."
Another victory over the Hawaiian gives Volkanovski a more-than-fair claim at 'greatest featherweight of all time' status.
That's what he wants and he wants it for himself, not for anybody else. Bet against him if you will, but betting against the old Alexander Volkanovski was nothing but a good way to lose a lot of money. Imagine what the new one might do.
What time is the Alex Volkanovski fight?
Volkanovski should take to the cage around 2pm on Sunday. It could be slightly later, depending on when the co-main event — a bantamweight unification bout between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan — finishes up.
