
Can one of these fighters get the job done before the final horn? Ortega has seven submissions and three knockouts in 15 career wins, a finish rate of 67%. Volkanovski has 11 knockouts in his career and three submissions, giving him a 64% finish rate in his 22 wins. Numbers that could make a difference: 64 vs. Volkanovski takes on Ortega, who is coming off an eye-opening performance last fall in which he landed 127 significant strikes against Jung, the most of his UFC career. That's the longest active unbeaten streak among fighters currently on the UFC roster, ahead of former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, both at 18 in a row. Volkanovski has won his past 19 MMA bouts, a run of success going all the way back to May 2013. and early prelims on ESPN+ at 6 p.m.Īlexander Volkanovski (c) vs. ET, with prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. The main card of Saturday's UFC 266 is on pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. Good enough to beat Volkanovski? That's the million-dollar question.
#Ufc 266 play by play professional#
If the guy could make it to a UFC title fight while training out of a garage, how good could he be with the professional environment he has now? Volkanovski has to be considered the best featherweight on the planet, in my opinion. The backdrop for this title fight really couldn't be any better. He dominated Chan Sung Jung over the course of five rounds last October. Ortega has fought only once since changing everything, but the result was eye-opening. If there are still any cracks in Ortega's revamped game, Volkanovski is the kind of fighter to find them. Volkanovski is considered one of the most consistent, reliable, well-prepared athletes in the sport. After 10 rounds with Holloway, the belt is around Volkanovski's waist. There are some in the sport who felt Holloway was robbed on judges' scorecards in one or both of those fights, but at the end of the day, the results are the results. Meanwhile, Volkanovski, of Australia, has cemented himself at the top of the division by beating Holloway via decision twice. Ortega linked up with new coaches, strength and conditioning specialists and sparring partners, including names like TJ Dillashaw and Cub Swanson. He parted ways with his longtime head coach, who had been training him primarily out of his garage.

And if and when he ever fights Holloway again, that might look different, too.Īfter suffering that loss, Ortega completely changed his team. It's also Diaz's first fight in over six years.Īs for the featherweight main event, Ortega has given us every reason to believe his second UFC title fight will look much different from the first. Robbie Lawler, a rematch of a bout from 17 years ago. And there's also another high-profile fight on the main card: Nick Diaz vs.

In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko (21-3) defends her flyweight title against Lauren Murphy (15-4). That is the question to be answered in this weekend's main event, one of two title fights on the UFC 266 card. Would he recover from that severe of a loss? And if he did, would he be able to make up the ground he was obviously lacking against Holloway from a technical aspect? The physical and psychological toll of that night was something to keep an eye on with Ortega. It was the kind of loss that can cast doubt on the rest of a fighter's career, frankly. Ortega was undefeated going into that fight against Holloway but was brutalized in a fourth-round finish. Ortega (15-1) will challenge Alexander Volkanovski (22-1) for the featherweight crown on Saturday in Las Vegas, almost three years after he came up short against then-champ Max Holloway at UFC 231 in December 2018. And anyone who saw the first attempt knows that the fact he's back in this position is no small feat. UFC 266 will see Brian Ortega make his second attempt at becoming a UFC champion. Two title fights and the return of Nick Diaz: UFC 266 is a must-watch PPV
#Ufc 266 play by play upgrade#
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