“I am destined to be a girl-dad, and I am fine with that,” said former featherweight champion and soon-to-be proud father of four beautiful daughters, Alexander Volkanovski, during an interview with ESPN Australia on April 10, 2025. ‘The Great’ was once at the top of the featherweight division. But after losing his belt to Ilia Topuria, he’s now preparing for a comeback against Diego Lopes at UFC 314 to reclaim his lost glory. It’s a big responsibility—but an even bigger one awaits him at home: his family.
“I’ve got a tattoo that reads ‘FAMILY’. I got that pretty young before I even had kids. I just wanted something with personal significance. And I am a family man – that’s what I pride myself on,” he shared with Father Hood some time back. Volkanovski has been married to his high school sweetheart, Emma, for 19 years. And together they’re raising their three daughters: Ariana, Airlie, and Reign. But does he want to grow his bloodline any further? Well, let’s hear it from ‘Volk’ himself.
Speaking to TMZ’s Charlie Cotton ahead of his UFC 314 showdown, the 36-year-old made his stance clear: “I’m done!” Volkanovski recently announced that he and Emma were expecting their fourth daughter. A surprise addition to the family. “Look, man, I thought I was done before the last one, right? This one caught me by surprise. But, yeah, four girls. It was a surprise, we weren’t trying.”
During the conversation, the host—also a proud girl dad, shared that he has two daughters and revealed he underwent a vasectomy after his second child. Curious, he asked Volkanovski if he planned to do the same. Volkanovski replied with a laugh, “I’m not, because I don’t know if that would affect me as an athlete. Probably not, but it’s something that I’m like, ‘I ain’t taking any risks.’ I don’t know. I ain’t doing it.”
April 7, 2022, Jacksonville, Florida, JACKSONVILLE, FL, United States: JACKSONVILLE, FL – April 7: Alexander Volkanovski meets with the press and the fans for the press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at Times Union Center for UFC 273 – Volkanovski vs The Korean – Presser on April 7, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Jacksonville, Florida United States – ZUMAp175 20220407_zsa_p175_040 Copyright: xLouisxGrassexz
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‘The Great’ recently took to Instagram to share a wholesome moment with fans—the gender reveal of his fourth child. In a touching video, he FaceTimed his wife and their three daughters as a giant black balloon hovered in the frame. When it finally popped, pink confetti rained down, signaling yet another baby girl on the way for the Aussie featherweight.
Volkanovski burst out laughing, having suspected it would be another girl, and fully embraced his identity as a girl dad to four daughters. “I am a girl dad, nothing wrong with that,” he said at the end of the video. “I’m gonna have to just be the best dad that I can be—show the girls what a real man looks like.”
But not everyone celebrated the moment with the same joy. Colby Covington, never one to hold back, threw shade at Volkanovski in typical brash fashion. He even attempted to rain on his balloon-popping happiness.
Colby Covington gets personal with Alexander Volkanovski ahead of UFC 314
Former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington is known for his unapologetic nature, but this time, he may have gone too far. Ahead of Alexander Volkanovski’s upcoming clash against Diego Lopes at UFC 314, ‘Chaos’ took personal shots—not just at the former champ but at his family too. Covington questioned Volkanovski’s motivation for continuing to fight and made a bold claim about his family life. While speaking on the Main Event podcast, he said:
“I’m gonna have to go with the emo haircut-looking dude Lopes. I think he’s younger and hungrier, and I think Volk is just coming for a paycheck. So, I think that emo kid beats him. I don’t think he’s there. I think he was looking for that Makhachev fight cause he wanted to get paid. He jumped into another fight with Topuria right away. And he’s begging to fight ever since then. So I haven’t known, I believe he’s just cash grabbing.”
He even went as far as to claim that Volkanovski “isn’t happy with his daughters and is always trying to have a baby boy.” However, Volkanovski has shown nothing but pride in being a father of four girls. In a TMZ interview, the Aussie ace acknowledged he thought he might have a boy as his fourth child, but emphasized that he’s more than content being a girl dad. He said: “It’s awesome.”
With so much on the line at UFC 314, can ‘The Great’ rise above the noise and bring the belt home to his daughters? What do you think about his reaction to being a dad of four girls? Will he silence the critics and deliver in the Octagon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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