UFC fighter Lucas Alexander hospitalized due to paint fumes at UFC venue

UFC fighter Lucas Alexander has revealed he was hospitalized as a result of paint fumes at the UFC Saudi Arabia venue.

Last weekend at UFC Saudi Arabia, Lucas Alexander stepped into the Octagon to face Bogdan Grad. The result was Grad getting the finish via punches and elbows from mount in the second round. However, there was actually a whole lot more to the story than that.

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As was the case with many fighters on the card, Alexander suffered from problems relating to the notable paint fumes in the changing rooms. It was something that has been widely discussed since fight night, with a lot of athletes noting things didn’t quite feel right.

Now, Alexander himself has clarified what went down in a post on Instagram.

Lucas Alexander says he was hospitalized after #UFCSaudiArabia after falling ill due to ‘paint fumes’ in the locker room 👀 pic.twitter.com/mz2ZKzMyV5

— Eddie Law 👊 (@ELaw31) February 7, 2025

Alexander reveals health issues

“On Saturday, we arrived at the locker rooms around 2:30pm and there was a really strong smell of paint fumes with seemingly no air circulation throughout the room. The ones close to me know I suffer with severe sinus issues when it comes to different smells and seasonal allergies. For 3 hours I felt dizzy, had low energy and felt like I could fall asleep any minute. By the time I was supposed to warm up, I could tell I was super flat. I did what I could regardless of the situation.

“After the fight I was taken to the hospital due to shortness of breath and over the next several hours couldn’t stop a runny nose, sneezing, couching and wheezing. I have videos from hours after the fight where my voice is gone, my nose is stuffed closed and I felt sick.

“After not sleeping the whole night, I went back to the hospital the next morning and received a breathing treatment with cortisol to open my lungs and sent home with an inhaler to use multiple times a day.

“Like I said before, I will take nothing from Grad and his team but I know for a fact I had a great camp and was very well prepared. It’s really disappointing to have my last fight on my contract go out like that knowing I was not 100% myself due to reasons out of my control. But this is not the end. I am picking up the pieces and will be back again. I’ve done it once before and I know I will do it again. Thank you to the real fans who’ve been rocking with me from the jump.”