Brett Lee hails fellow Aussie Alexander Volkanovski, Michael Bisping reveals UFC champ's biggest strength

Alexander Volkanovski appears to have elicited words of high praise from a pair of sports greats, namely cricket icon Brett Lee and MMA legend Michael Bisping. 

Lee and Bisping discussed the 38-year-old Volkanovski's longevity at the top in the sport of MMA, with "The Count" even highlighting the biggest weapon in the reigning UFC featherweight champion's arsenal. 

Brett Lee hails Alexander Volkanovski as allrounder, Michael Bisping praises "Volk" for his fight IQ

Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski is scheduled to put his UFC featherweight championship on the line against Movsar Evloev. The Aussie champion and Russian challenger will headline UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on October 24. 

In a conversation on Main Event, former Australia international cricketer Brett Lee and ex-MMA fighter Michael Bisping discussed Volkanovski's much-awaited return to the Octagon. 

Bisping, for his part, praised Volkanovski's accomplishments in MMA and emphasized the well-rounded nature of his combat skill set. "The Count" indicated that Volkanovski is one of the rare fighters who can hold his own in the striking department against the greatest strikers and in the grappling realm against the best grapplers. 

The British combat sports icon cited Volkanovski's unanimous decision win over former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, a striking extraordinaire. He also harked back to Volkanovski's razor-thin unanimous decision defeat in his first fight against then-UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a grappling great, in their first encounter at lightweight. 

Volkanovski was appreciated for masterfully striking with Aldo and craftily grappling with Makhachev. On that note, Brett Lee weighed in by deeming "Volk" an allrounder.

Cricket viewers are known to associate the term allrounder with a cricketer who's skilled at both batting and bowling rather than specializing in just one of those two disciplines. The legendary cricketer stated, "He's a classic allrounder." 

In the same vein, Bisping reaffirmed that Volkanovski is indeed an outstanding combatant, specifically noting that it's the Australian fighter's fight IQ that sets him apart. The UFC Hall of Famer said, "It's the fight IQ. I think that when you put it all together, and you break it down, it's how smart and intelligently he approaches these fights." 

Watch Brett Lee and Michael Bisping laud Alexander Volkanovski's fighting prowess below (*comments at the 13:10-minute mark of the video): 

Alexander Volkanovski could break Jose Aldo's record by beating Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

As of this time, Alexander Volkanovski and Jose Aldo are the record holders for the most UFC featherweight title fight wins (eight). Volkanovski, with a victory in his imminent title showdown against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, could take his tally to nine and thereby break Aldo's record. 

It's noteworthy that Volkanovski -- who recently made his Hollywood feature film debut by starring as "Joe" in "Street Fighter" (2026) -- has lately hinted that his MMA career is nearing its end. With acting ambitions on his mind and his mixed martial arts legacy already secure, he's maintained that he's still as focused as ever on his training and fighting. 

On the other hand, certain sections of the combat sports realm have warned that the undefeated Evloev is likely the biggest threat to Volkanovski's throne right now. The Ingushetia-born athlete has signaled that he'd not only beat Volkanovski but do so by securing a stoppage win, submitting or knocking him out.