Alexander The Great Volkanovski was on hand with the dustpan.

"That's how we do things," the much loved martial arts trainer told the Mercury. "Alex is a world champion but it doesn't mean he doesn't have to sweep the floor in the morning.

"I think that really goes a long way to showing how we work as a team and what kind of man he is. We are a real team and no one is above doing anything."

Read more: Alex Volkanovski returns home as UFC featherweight champion

At the Freestyle Fighting Gym in Windang, there's no star pupil or gun fighter who's treated like God - not even Alexander The Great.

."For us it's everybody is equal. A lot of the times when I'm coaching I'm coaching the guys that are against Alex," Joe says.

"They come spar and I'm helping them to beat him because that makes him better too.

"He needs to be pushed. I help the other guy in how to beat him, that makes us all better."

Alex and Joe have an unbreakable bond - one understood only by a fighter and his coach.

"Our wives call us a husband and wife," he jokes.

"We've traveled a lot together and spent a lot of time together just me and him, and we really like very similar things, we are both very easy going.

"I've always been bit of soup man, he likes soups, so I introduced him to all the good stuff, Vietnamese soups. But now he's the expert."

The banter and sledging are constants, and only really stops the minute Alex walks into the ring.

"We had an official follow Alex everywhere, like they do with all the fighters, and just before he walked out into the Octagon we were sledging as usual and she said 'Do you guys realise what's about to happen?'

"We just said yeah this is how we always are."

Even in the ring you see Alex smiling and nodding to his opponent, acknowledging a clean punch or a cracking kick.

His smirks were impossible to miss as he beat legend Max Holloway, landing on him 172 significant strikes in a unanimous decision.

His secret to staying calm and composed, his coach says, is fighting like he spars.

"To me I've always had the philosophy from day one that you've gotta treat a fight like you're sparring.

"Sure you're gonna go in there with more intent .... but I've seen a lot of guys hype themselves up and do things they don't do when they spar.

"They get nervous, too much adrenalin, go out too early, it doesn't do them any good.

"I don't get nervous at all going to the fights. I get more nervous doing interviews and having to talk to the cameras doing the media stuff.

"The boys know I get all nervous so they follow me around and make sure that I stay even more nervous."

Joe better get used to it. He's the man behind the new world champion and everyone wants a piece of him and his star student.

Media interviews are being booked daily as part of UFC obligations.

But the humble coach and his little mate who first came to the gym to get fit in his off season for the Warilla Gorillas, won't get caught up in the glory.

"Alex is genuinely a nice guy, he will talk to anyone, he doesn't like confrontation.

"It's easy to like him, he's a good guy, no malice in him," Joe says.

"In fact I stir him up, pretend to have road road rage.

"We will be driving along and I'll go 'give me that bottle on the floor, I'm gonna throw it at him'.

"Alex will be like no please Joe don't and hide, cover his head."

But when he enters the Octagon it's a whole other story.

The Flinders father of two young girls had only been MMA training a few months when Joe thought he'd throw him in the cage and let him have his first taste of sparring at his gym open day some seven years ago.

"There was an up and coming heavyweight from another gym coming and I had my heavyweight and I was going to get them to spar first," Joe said.

"Alex was gonna go next, it was his first real spar.

"I was taping gloves up on my heavyweight guy and the other guy's trainer went and grabbed Alex cause he was already gloved up and through him in with his heavyweight guy.

"I remember running to the cage to stop it but it was too late the had already started.

"The next minute Alex submits this guy, then again. Three times in the round. I thought shit this kid might have something."

"After the sparring I said 'Alex have you ever thought of having a fight?

"He said it's always been a dream of mine. I said let's see what I can do, the rest his history."