The MTV-driven popularity of one Australian musical group helped kick off a massive American infatuation for the Oceanic country in 1981. Infectious pop music helped usher in an infatuation with the pop culture Down Under, spearheaded by Men At Work’s song and video of the same name, with Yanks gushing over everything from cuddly koalas to the peculiarity of what the heck is a vegemite sandwich.
So while the fun and catchy “Down Under” might seem to be a little on the light side for a UFC walkout, the sense of pride for Australian native Alexander Volkanovski is music to his ears.
“Yeah, it is fun. And I like to be fun and calm. I don’t like to go in there, like, I don’t need something to pump me up and get me angry,” the UFC featherweight champion told the Southern California News Group. “I want that good energy … you know, that sort of reminds me, sort of takes me back home, which means take me back home to my country, to my family.”
And though it isn’t the intention of Volkanovski’s walkout song, a closer listen to the chorus offers a foreboding prefight warning: “Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover.”
Some 43 years after the song’s release, the lyrics will be blasted Saturday night at Honda Center as Volkanovski accepts the challenge of undefeated Ilia Topuria in the UFC 298 main event in Anaheim.
Only Topuria (14-0) doesn’t come across as one to be cowering at loud noises. Asked if he thought he was better than the 145-pound champion everywhere in the Octagon, Topuria’s answer to the Southern California News Group was concisely confident: “I don’t think so. I know so.”
Confidence for days
The 27-year-old Topuria, who was born in Germany, raised in the Republic of Georgia and has lived most of his life in Spain, is a supremely skilled sniper and as intense as he is confident.
He is 6-0 in the UFC, with only two of his fights going the distance. That includes his…
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