Alexander Volkanovski left Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the biggest win of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. He also left with some kind of mutated parasite, which appears to be drinking his blood like Kermit the frog drinks Lipton iced tea.
That’s why the top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight contender is currently hospitalized in Chile, stranded after the 20-1 “Great” was too ill to catch his connecting flight back home to Australia.
“Hey all, Alex is okay,” manager Rhys Dal Cin wrote on Twitter. “He is being treated for an infection that developed quickly while on our flight home. We are currently in Chile and will provide updates as they come to hand. The medical staff have been fantastic, he’s in good hands, and Alex is in good spirits.”
Volkanovski, 30, complained of “sore feet, redness of his left foot and feeling sick” before leaving his hotel in Rio, according to Ariel Helwani, less than 48 hours removed from his co-main event win over former featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
We’ll provide more updates to Volkanovski’s condition as they become available.