Alexander Volkanovski and Jamal Murray: How did UFC great become friends with NBA champion?

Alexander Volkanovski yet again proved that he is the king of the featherweight division after his performance at UFC 290. ‘The Great’ put on a clinical performance against one of the most unpredictable fighters in the division. Despite being the interim champion, Volkanovski demonstrated that there are levels to the game.

Alexander Volkanovski’s win over Yair Rodriguez was cheered by many of the teammates in attendance. After the dominant performance, he also declared that he would be moving up a division to recapture the belt. While Volkanovski stated that he will be going through an arm surgery, he also added he will be back by the end of the year.

Volkanovski’s win over Rodriguez was also celebrated by several athletes from different sports. He was also heavily supported by one-time NBA champion and friend Jamal Murray.

Related : Alexander Volkanovski next fight: What is next for ‘The Great’ after UFC 290 demolition?

How did Alexander Volkanovski become friends with Jamal Murray?

Alexander Volkanovski met Jamal Murray last year when the latter visited Australia for promotional events. Both athletes exchanged their sports and also coached each other about their respective sports. The crossover collaboration between the two athletes became viral pretty soon. He coached Jamal Murray with some of his kickboxing techniques, while Murray helped with Volkanovski’s shooting techniques.

Murray has been a fan of MMA and after his interaction with ‘The Great,’ he openly cheered for his mate on UFC’s social media accounts. Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovski also started supporting Denver Nuggets and rooted for them as they won their first NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets point guard was also a huge part of Volk’s team going into UFC 290.

He was present with Alex during his stay in Vegas and also walked into the Arena with The Great. The unexpected collab at UFC 290 surprised fight fans yet again as Murray supported his friend

Jamal Murray shows up at UFC 290 to support Alexander Volkanovski

After his close loss to Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski moved back to his division to defend the featherweight title. Volkanovski fought against Yair Rodriguez, who is one of the most skilled and unpredictable fighters in the division. Despite the nature of the challenge, the featherweight champion made an easy work out of the Mexican. He put on a dominant performance against ‘El Pantera’ and defeated him via TKO in the third round of the bout.

Throughout his stay in Vegas, ‘The Great’ was accompanied by Jamal Murray. The Denver Nuggets point guard walked into the T- Mobile Arena with Volk and supported his friend after winning the fight.

He was also present with Alexander for his after-party. Murray and Volkanovski were also joined by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal who blasted music as Dj Diesel at the party. Both Murray and Volkanovski have immense respect for each other and fans might witness Volkanovski attending a Nuggets game soon.

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• Alexander Volkanovski loss: Who defeated ‘The Great’ before Islam Makhachev?

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