Alexander
Volkanovski says illness left him questioning whether he could
go the distance against Movsar
Evloev.
Speaking to Brendan Bradford in comments shared by Home of Fight on
X, Volkanovski explained how concerns about his breathing added
urgency to his search for a finish at
UFC 333.
Alexander Volkanovski explains how illness influenced his
second-round TKO of Movsar Evloev
Volkanovski said he needed to take deep breaths as he increased the
pressure in the second round.
“I had to take some big breaths,” Volkanovski said. “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.”
The reigning
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion admitted
he was unsure whether he could sustain that effort for all five
rounds while ill.
“Again, I don’t want to go five rounds. I don’t know if these lungs
can hold up being [sick] and all. And not only that, I started to
see everything and knowing that the finish probably would come,” he
added.
Volkanovski stopped Evloev with punches at 4:54 of the second round
to retain his featherweight title.
👀 Alexander
Volkanovski admits he had doubts about himself heading into his
fight with Movsar
Evloev after coming down with the flu. “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. “Again, I don’t want to go five rounds. I
don’t know if these lungs can hold up being [sick] and all. And not
only that, I started to see everything and knowing that the finish
probably would come.” via: Brendan Bradford— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 28, 2026