Alexander Volkanovski Fought Through Illness to Defend Title at UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski turned away another top challenger at UFC 333, stopping the previously unbeaten Movsar Evloev at 4:54 of the second round to retain the UFC featherweight championship. The bonus-winning finish handed Evloev (20-1) the first defeat of his professional career and marked Volkanovski's (29-4) seventh successful title defense across his two championship reigns.

Following the bout, the Australian champion revealed that he entered the Octagon battling an illness, treating the setback as just another hurdle to overcome. "It's all good, it's a part of the game," Volkanovski said at the postfight press conference. "I started getting sick, I was like, ‘It would've been too easy if I wasn't sick.’"

For Volkanovski, conquering adversity continues to mean far more than holding championship gold. "It feels good. Again, I don't really care about this, like I really don't.

I just care about, again, overcoming challenges," Volkanovski said. "A guy who was undefeated in front of me, to overcome that and beat him… And again, getting through camps, you know, and all that. There's so many challenges that come with this sport and overcoming them is what really excites me."