"That got uncomfortable" - Alexander Volkanovski suggests COVID-19 may still be affecting him following tough training session
Alexander Volkanovski suspects that he may not have fully recovered from COVID-19 after contracting the virus in late March.
The UFC featherweight champion complained about being "rocked" following an arduous training session on Saturday. In a video posted to his Instagram story, Volkanovski said he's not sure if he's feeling the post-COVID complications or if it's just the cold air of Australia.
"Just did a strength session and was on the Airdyne bike, the assault bike. Tell you what, that got uncomfortable. I don’t know if it’s bloody cold air in Australia because it’s freezing here, we came from Vegas where it’s boiling hot. We tried to do this outside, the assault bike. It absolutely rocked me. I don’t know if it’s because of the COVID or it’s just the cold weather, but damn it trashed me," said Volkanovski.
Alexander Volkanovski's fight against Brian Ortega was postponed after the Australian tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of UFC 260. He said he had recovered from the virus a week later, but it was a struggling process.
In an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski revealed he was coughing blood during the UFC 260 fight week.
"We realized my lungs are hurting a little bit, hurting to breath. We started wanting to pay attention to things when I started coughing up phlegm, pinky, like little bits of blood," said Alexander Volkanovski.
Will Alexander Volkanovski be fit to challenge Brian Ortega?
Alexander Volkanovski is not the only UFC fighter who might be having a tough time dealing with the after-effects of COVID-19. The likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Leon Edwards, and Cody Garbrandt also struggled to regain their full fitness following a successful recovery from the deadly virus.
While Edwards and Garbrandt have already stepped foot inside the UFC octagon, Chimaev is expected to return in August.
During his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Volkanovski hinted at the timeline of his clash against Brian Ortega. He said the UFC might book a fight at UFC 266, scheduled to take place on September 4.
Alexander Volkanovski should probably be fit to fight 'T-City' since there are four months left for UFC 266 to transpire.
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