Alexander Volkanovski fakes a neck injury in brutal prank on lifelong fan

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski showed no mercy on one of his most devoted fans.

Alexander Volkanovski returned to the UFC featherweight throne when he defeated Diego Lopes for the vacant belt earlier this year. As he prepares for the first title defense of his second reign, he’s having a lot of fun in and out of the gym.

Volkanovski appears on a to-be-released episode of The Unscripted Show, an Oceania podcast where athletes from around the region are interviewed on a variety of topics. The former UFC champion Volkanovski was the latest to be invited on the show.

One of the show’s video editors, Ben, is a die-hard Volkanovski fan. He got the chance to briefly grapple with his longtime idol in recently released footage.

But the impromptu grappling match was part of a brutal prank on Ben, thanks to Volkanovski and the rest of the show’s staff. Volkanovski faked suffering a neck injury, sending Ben into a panic.

Alexander Volkanovski panics lifelong fan with brutal prank

Watch Volkanovski’s viral prank play out to perfection below.

https://youtube.com/shorts/jtMWVAYO8CQ?si=7JYr4C1AzubSulfm

Luckily, Ben seemed to take the joke in stride, despite the initial scare. Meanwhile, Volkanovski turned his attention towards his next potential featherweight title fight against surging contender Lerone Murphy.

Murphy earned a ‘Knockout of the Year’ candidate over Aaron Pico at UFC 319 last month. After Murphy’s win, Volkanovski accepted Murphy’s callout and proposed a booking in December.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made his case for a title shot in defeating Brian Ortega at UFC Shanghai just weeks ago. Undefeated contender Movsar Evloev’s return timeline remains uncertain.

Volkanovski was on the verge of retiring ahead of UFC 314, as he explained in the immediate aftermath of his victory. Before UFC 314, Volkanovski lost back-to-back fights by knockout to Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev.

After Volkanovski’s redemption, he’s in high spirits as he prepares to kick off his second-career UFC featherweight title reign.