The Illawarra Hawks got a big lift last weekend with two of MMA’s top superstars putting on the Hawks jersey against the Brisbane Bullets.
UFC Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski continues to make rounds in Australia heading to his upcoming UFC 298 title defence. Last month, Volk was seen catching Tom Brady’s pass during A Night With Tom Brady event in Melbourne… and it appears the Australian fighter is continuing on his national tour of Australian sports.
Last Saturday, Alexander the Great brought along former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya to the WIN Entertainment Centre to watch the Illawarra Hawks play against the Brisbane Bullets.
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Of course, both champions were dressed in a Hawks jersey. With the two stars on hand, the Hawks went on a 12-2 fourth-quarter run to turn a four-point deficit into a six-point lead. Illawarra never looked back as they cruised to an 89-76 victory.
Volkanovski’s presence during the game was part of his role as the Hawks’ club ambassador for the NBL22 season. Last December, the Hawks announced that Volkanovski had been appointed. It turns out that Alexander the Great is a confessed lifelong Hawks fan.
“I can still remember watching the Hawks as a kid when players like Matt Campbell and Glen Saville were running up and down the court. To now join the Hawks in an ambassadorship role is an honor and something I take immense pride in. I love the direction the club is going in, both on the court and in the community, and honestly believe it’s in the strongest position I’ve seen it in a long time.”
Alexander Volkanovski
Last weekend’s victory pushed the Hawks up to 4th place in the latest NBL team standings. At 12-12, Illawarra is at the 500 mark for the first time in two seasons.
Actually, Volkanovski isn’t just an Illawarra Hawks fan; he is also a big supporter of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. That’s because he is good buddies with Nuggets’ guard Jamal Murray. The two first met when Murray had a trip to Australia in 2022. Because Murray is trained in martial arts, he hooked up with Volk during his visit. Last September, Alex invited Jamal to train with him before the start of the NBA season.
Volkanovski is set to defend his featherweight belt against challenger Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298 on February 17th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The bout marks the 6th consecutive title defence for the Australian fighter.
Meanwhile, Adesanya is still waiting for his next assignment from the UFC. Most recently, The Last Stylebender lost his UFC middleweight belt to Sean Strickland last September at UFC 293. Volkanovski has boldly predicted that Adesanya will get the first crack at the newly-crowned champion Dricus DuPlessis.