Alexander Volkanovski has revealed that falling ill with the flu before his bout caused him to worry about his physical endurance heading into his match against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333. The fighter secured a second-round technical knockout victory despite dealing with the illness during his training and preparation.
Overcoming Illness in the Octagon
Volkanovski discussed the challenges he faced while competing with the flu, noting that he had to carefully manage his breathing during the encounter as reported by Brendan Bradford on Sherdog.com. He explained that he needed to take deep breaths while stepping up his aggression in the second round to push for a stoppage. “I had to take some big breaths… You could see that I started putting that pressure on, especially in the second round. It was like, alright, let’s start finding this finish,” Volkanovski stated.
The fighter admitted he was concerned about going the full distance while dealing with a sickness that affected his stamina. “Again, I don’t want to go five rounds. I don’t know if these lungs can hold up being [sick] and all,” he explained. Despite these concerns, Volkanovski felt confident once he began reading his opponent’s movements and recognized an opportunity to end the fight early. “And not only that, I started to see everything and knowing that the finish probably would come,” he added.
