Alexander Volkanovski wants to take Cooking With Volk into Dagestan’s mountains, with former UFC opponent Islam Makhachev joining him for an episode of his YouTube series.
The 38-year-old Australian outlined the idea during an interview with TMZ Sports reporter Michael Babcock. Speaking from his hotel in Abu Dhabi, he was asked to name his dream collaborator for the show.
Makhachev, the reigning UFC welterweight champion, comes from the region Volkanovski hopes to visit. Volkanovski said the two had already spoken about collaborating.
Volkanovski’s screen work has also expanded into acting. He plays Joe in the live-action Street Fighter film, which opened on October 16 alongside a cast that includes Jason Momoa and Noah Centineo.
The Plan Includes Horseback Hunting and Cooking Over a Fire
Volkanovski described an outing that would begin with hunting on horseback. Whatever they caught would become dinner, cooked over a wood fire before they camped outdoors.
He sounded certain about following through when speaking to TMZ Sports. “I’m telling you, it’s going to happen. We’re going to do it,” he said.
Makhachev Won Both of Their Lightweight Title Fights
At UFC 284 in Perth in February 2023, Volkanovski moved up from featherweight to challenge for Makhachev’s lightweight championship. The bout went the full five rounds, with the judges awarding Makhachev a unanimous decision by scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.
Volkanovski finished strongly, hurting Makhachev late and ending the final round on top. The UFC’s writers later ranked their first meeting as the promotion’s best fight of 2023.
The rematch came at UFC 294 on October 21 that year. Volkanovski replaced Charles Oliveira with less than two weeks’ notice after Oliveira withdrew from the main event.
Makhachev landed a head kick and followed with punches on the ground, winning by knockout at 3:06 of the first round. Makhachev most recently defended his welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia in August, winning another five-round decision.
His Cooking Guests Have Included Adesanya, Dvalishvili and Hasbulla
Israel Adesanya joined Volkanovski to make kangaroo burgers in a video published on June 19, 2022. The episode was filmed during their preparations for UFC 276, when Volkanovski was due to face Max Holloway and Adesanya was preparing to fight Jared Cannonier. Both subsequently retained their titles on that card.
Merab Dvalishvili has also cooked with him. Their menu included surf-and-turf burgers with roasted bone marrow. A September 2022 collaboration with Hasbulla took place at Royal Stacks in Melbourne. Volkanovski and the social media personality made smash burgers and prepared a special sauce with help from the restaurant’s chef, as BJPenn.com reported.
During the TMZ conversation, Volkanovski also discussed making a series of videos with former opponents. He named Ilia Topuria and said a collaboration was already being discussed. Topuria took Volkanovski’s featherweight title with a second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024.
Volkanovski Defends His Title Against Movsar Evloev Next
Volkanovski is scheduled to face undefeated challenger Movsar Evloev in the UFC 333 main event on October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It will be his second featherweight title defense of the year.
Evloev’s wrestling presents a demanding assignment for a champion who regained the belt by defeating Diego Lopes in April 2025. The main card is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern time, or 10 p.m. in Abu Dhabi, with Paramount+ carrying the U.S. broadcast.
The card also features a familiar guest from his kitchen. Dvalishvili is scheduled to challenge bantamweight champion Petr Yan in their third meeting.