Whether it's headlining the Wollongong Wars at Anita's Theatre in Thirroul, or a UFC pay-per-view to an audience of millions, the former Warilla-Lake South Gorilla remains the same guy.

In the eyes of the Illawarra faithful, "Volk" could still walk from Windang to Wollongong on water.

Broader opinions though, they're more fickle. It's a lesson the 32-year-old has learned in one of global sport's toughest schools. His rivalry with Hawaiian fan-favourite Max Holloway has been a crash-course.

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Volkanovski boasts two wins over the former champion, the first thoroughly and the second more controversially. It still looms over the build-up to his next fight with Brian Ortega, his first title showdown with another opponent since claiming UFC gold.

Volkanovski admits there was a time it would've consumed his thoughts, but that time's long passed.

"It's a little bit different to other sports and you just have to adapt to it," Volkanovski said.

"You can be the best, you get the belt, but is it ever enough in some people's eyes? Should you even be trying to impress these people anyway? Probably not.

"After I go out mop the floor with Ortega they're going to want that [Holloway] rematch, it's probably what they're going to throw at me next. I'll go out there and hit him with a three-peat [of wins] and people are going to come up with [excuses].

"I'm not going to let that swirl in my head. The problem for me [early on] was I'd worry too much about what people think about me.

"Being in this position [as champion], getting to that stage, you're going to have your fans, you're going to have your haters. That's the game. I've got a better understanding of all that now.

"I'm not going anywhere, that belt's not going anywhere, I'm here for a long time and I'm just going to be me."

That attitude was vital in coaching on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV series against Ortega, a task that sees a fighter largely surrender control of the narrative.

Ultimately, it reflected glowingly on the Aussie, with three of the four fighters who initially reached the finale coming from Team Volkanovski.

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The August 28 show will now be an all-team Volk affair after Team Ortega's only finalist, Tresean Gore, was forced out of his scheduled bout with Bryan Battle through injury and replaced by Gilbert Urbina.

It completely overturns an early 0-4 deficit and the experience was enough to turn the vibe between Volkanovski and Ortega from nice to ice ahead of their showdown in six weeks' time.

Ortega was thoroughly outclassed by Holloway in his first shot at UFC gold, yet the Vegas pre-fight odds will almost certainly have him favourite. It's nothing new, despite Volkanovski's 9-0 record in the UFC.

Like most things these days, the champion isn't bothered by it. There may have been some lessons on his UFC journey, but he's yet to learn what defeat feels like.

"If you're talking legacy, people will always remember the winners," Volkanovski said.

"Let people hate, let them say whatever they want. I'm going to go out there, fix him up, and shut his mouth."

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