SICK AND UNBROKEN: Volkanovski's FLU GAME Stops Evloev

The champion fought ill on fight day, refused even ibuprofen, then stopped the unbeaten Movsar Evloev in two rounds.

"It would've been too easy if I wasn't sick." Alexander Volkanovski said it with a straight face at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference, hours after stopping the unbeaten Movsar Evloev. He had fought the biggest fight of his second reign while sick — and he liked it that way.

That is the story of the UFC 333 main event. Not just a title defense, but a champion beating an unbeaten challenger and an illness on the same night, and turning down help that might have made it easier.

Sick on Fight Day

Volkanovski said he started getting sick on fight day. "I was good enough to get out there and get it done," he said at the press conference. "It's all good. It's a part of the game. It's a part of the challenge that I like, anyway."

Reporter Oscar Willis, who asked the press-conference question, added the detail that made the story explode. Willis reported Volkanovski was very sick that morning and refused to take medication, even ibuprofen, because he felt it would in some way give him a sporting advantage.

MMA Mania reports training partner Craig Jones confirmed Volkanovski fought through flu symptoms. Fans had already wondered something was off after his voice sounded sick at Friday's weigh-ins, per MMA Mania.

He Wanted It Hard

Volkanovski framed it the way only he would.

"No matter what hurdles are in front of me, or what challenges come my way, I'm at a stage of my career that this sh*t excites me," he said. "When I get injuries and I've gotta fight through them, I don't know why, but it makes the story better. I'll save them for documentaries."

The Finish

The illness did not slow the ending. Volkanovski stopped Evloev by TKO (punches) at 4:54 of round two on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, retaining the featherweight title.

The numbers now read Volkanovski 29-4, Evloev 20-1. It was Evloev's first professional defeat after entering 20-0, including 10 UFC wins, per Sports Illustrated. It was the second title defense of Volkanovski's second featherweight reign, and Sherdog calls it a bonus-winning finish.

Evloev came in as the unbeaten puzzle nobody had solved. The sick version of the 38-year-old champion solved him in two rounds. That is why this one will live longer than a normal title defense in the retelling.

Volkanovski has said overcoming challenges means more to him than the belt itself. Beating an undefeated challenger while sick, he said, is the kind of win that stays with a fighter.

Evloev's Grace

Evloev took the loss without an excuse. In his first statement after the fight, he wrote:

"Alhamdulillah for everything. Today wasn't my day. Everything is written by Allah, and I accept whatever He has planned for me. Congratulations to Volk. He was the better man today. Thank you to the UFC for giving me the opportunity to fight for the title, and to all my fans."

No complaint about the result, no asterisk, no demand for an immediate rematch. The 32-year-old lost his perfect record and congratulated the man who took it.

If the sick version of Volkanovski does that to an unbeaten challenger, what does the healthy one do to the rest of the division?