“I think stale eggs were the culprit,” Shakhtar told reporters ahead of the event. “Because there was no refrigerator in our hotel room and I took my food on Friday night and ate it on Saturday morning. After a couple of hours, my temperature rose, and I felt discomfort inside. ”
“We came to the arena, worked with the doctor, he gave me one pill, then another – we did everything possible to go to the fight, but I could not do it. This happened to me for the first time in ten years in the UFC, and the situation was very emotional. I’m not used to withdrawing from fights, I always went into the octagon in any condition, but this time it was very bad.”
The Russian fighter also clarified that the upcoming fight will take place not in light heavyweight, but in intermediate weight.
“Now it’s three rounds, intermediate weight, so I can relax a bit. Everything looks good in theory, but I’m sorry I couldn’t prove myself in my first main event.”
Recall that the fight between Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann will be the third most important event of the UFC Fight Night 221 tournament, which will be held on March 11 in Las Vegas.