Speaking to Brendan Bradford on X split commentary on Home of Fight, Volkanovski explained how concerns about his breathing made his search for a finish more urgent.
UFC 333.
Alexander Volkanovski explains how illness affected his second-round TKO of Movsar Evloev
Volkanovski said he had to take deep breaths as he turned up the pressure in the second round.
“I took some big breaths,” Volkanovski said. “You could see I was starting to put that pressure on, especially in the second round. It was like we’re going to look for that finish.”
Dominant
Ultimate Fighting Championship the featherweight champion admitted he wasn’t sure he could sustain the effort for all five rounds while ill.
“Again, I don’t want to do five laps. I don’t know if these lungs can handle (being sick) and everything. And not only that, I started to see everything and I knew that the finish was probably coming,” he added.
Volkanovski stopped Evloev with strikes at 4:54 of the second round to retain the featherweight title.
👀 Alexander Volkanovsky admits that he had doubts about starting a fight with himself Movsar Evloev after getting the flu. “I had to take some big breaths … You could see I was starting to put on that pressure, especially in the second round. It was like, okay, let’s go for that finish. “Again, I don’t want to go five rounds. I don’t know if these lungs can handle being (sick) and all. And not only that, I started seeing everything and knowing that the finish was probably coming. via: Brendan Bradford
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
October 28, 2026
