"Old Man" Alexander Volkanovski 'falling asleep' in the middle of UFC 298 press conference leaves fans in splits - "Funniest moment in MMA history"

Alexander Volkanovski has seemingly leaned into his new gimmick of play-acting as though he were an old man. The reigning UFC featherweight champion's act, in turn, has left many in the MMA community amused.

The 2023 calendar year witnessed 'The Great' aka 'Volk' go 1-2 inside the octagon, with a victory over Yair Rodriguez at featherweight and a pair of losses against UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at lightweight. In his most recent octagon appearance, Volkanovski stepped in on short notice for a rematch against Makhachev and lost via first-round KO.

Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his UFC featherweight title against undefeated Spanish MMA athlete Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on Feb. 17, 2024. Certain sections of the MMA realm have suggested that at 35, 'The Great' is too old and would lose to the 27-year-old Topuria.

In a lighthearted response to the speculation, Volkanovski appeared in a skit sponsored by Sportsbet.com, in which he essayed the role of 'Old Man Volk.'

Besides, Alexander Volkanovski donned his old man attire to the UFC 298 pre-fight press conference, too. He notably pretended to fall asleep at the press conference, insinuating that his nap was because of his being an elderly gentleman. As pointed out in a tweet by MMA personality Nina-Marie Daniele, UFC middleweight Paulo Costa hilariously woke Volkanovski up.

Watch the UFC 298 press conference below:

MMA fans have now chimed in with their responses to Volkanovski's old-man persona. One X user suggested that weight cuts are adversely affecting the fighters' health. Another user referenced the upcoming Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria matchup, indicating that Volkanovski must win and then continue his gimmick.

Furthermore, a number of fans lauded the presser as the best, with others emphasizing that Volkanovski's act resulted in one of the funniest moments ever. Excerpts from a few fan tweets read as follows:

"Old man Volk is one of the funniest things I've seen in the MMA space in a long time, love it"

"Funniest moment in MMA history"

Check out the screenshots of some of the fan reactions below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

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Alexander Volkanovski on potential quest for UFC lightweight title after UFC 298

Speaking to ESPN MMA's Megan Olivi ahead of UFC 298, Alexander Volkanovski addressed multiple topics. Apart from downplaying the purported youth advantage that Ilia Topuria possesses over him, he also discussed a possible third attempt to win the UFC lightweight championship.

Having fought Islam Makhachev twice and failing to capture the lightweight belt, Alexander Volkanovski implied that the timing isn't right for a third lightweight title shot right now.

However, he asserted that he could go after the lightweight belt in the future, perhaps even facing a lightweight contender to earn another title shot. Vowing to beat Topuria at UFC 298 and potentially fight for lightweight gold someday, he stated:

"I definitely still want to chase that lightweight division, it just needs to make sense and the timing needs to work."

Check out Volkanovski's assessment below (2:06):