Michael Jordan’s flu game – you have company.
After his stunning TKO win over Movsar Evloev to retain his featherweight title in emphatic fashion in Abu Dhabi, Alexander Volkanovski’s post-fight reveal only enhances UFC 333’s legendary status.
The Australian mercilessly ended Evloev’s 20-0 unbeaten run with a second-round ground and pound to force the referee to call a halt with just seconds remaining for the round.
In the process, it ended the Russian’s 12-year wait for a UFC title fight in under ten minutes.
And as Volkanovski told Main Event after securing his featherweight belt, his greatest threat may have been himself.
“Yeah, a little crook, but it’s alright,” the Australian revealed about his health.
Volkanovski retains featherweight title | 03:31
“It comes with the job – when I started getting crook, I was like ‘oh well, things were going too perfect’.
“For me, these things excite me when I’ve got all these different challenges in front of me. I’m happy.”
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Evloev is known as the ‘Decision King’ for good reason: in ten previous fights in the Octagon, all wins, he had forced the judges to decide after the full five rounds.
But he didn’t even come close to 25 minutes in Abu Dhabi, with Volkanovski taking charge from the beginning of the second round and capitalising ruthlessly after flooring him with a heavy left hand.
It was widely expected that a defeat in UFC 333 would bring an end to the Australian’s Hall of Fame-worthy mixed martial arts career.
But a triumph of this magnitude will see Volk continue to write his own scripts for a while to come yet, with Father Time forced to wait for at least one more fight.
The possibility of a showdown with another UFC veteran in Justin Gaethje, at 37 just one year younger than the icon from down under, is now tantalising.
The lightweight great is yet to officially retire, but has been adamant that he has nothing left to prove in the arena, with his management team seeking legacy-enhancing bouts over rematches or other challenges.
They don’t come much bigger than a showdown with Volkanovski – especially now.
And having produced a “flu game” worthy of Jordan, the Australian is more than willing to make a “last dance” happen too.
“I haven’t heard him (Gaethje) saying anything about it,” he said.
“Obviously he’s enjoying himself, doing his thing. I don’t want to disrupt him too much.
“But hey, if you are thinking of doing something like that, if we wanted to retire together, superfight, have a bit of fun, let the divisions do their thing, we can go save the last dance with each other and get stuck into it.
“Super fight to end the careers, I’ll do it.”
Going into UFC 333, Dana White said he would be “very supportive” of a Volk-Gaethje superfight should both prove willing.
And if White’s post-fight comments are any indication, he believes Volkanovski truly deserves the chance to bow out in style.
“The guy is an absolute stud,” White said during his press conference.
“Coming in and beating an undefeated, younger (man) … Volkanovski is incredible.
“He was the aggressive fighter, he was the one really going after him (Evloev) and trying to finish.
“This guy’s f***ing built different.”