Alexander Volkanovski will be defending his featherweight championship against Brian Ortega at UFC 260 on March 27.
ESPN has reported that Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight championship against Brian Ortega on a card the UFC hopes will be headlined by Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. The Miocic/Ngannou bout is not a done deal, but Volkanovski vs. Ortega is good to go. This card will be the second pay per view in the month of March.
Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega both have the common opponent of Max Holloway. In his most recent two bouts, Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway by decision, first to capture and then to defend the UFC featherweight championship. Some fans wanted to see Max Holloway receive yet another shot at Volkanovski due to the controversial judges’ decision at UFC 251, but Volkanovski shut that down and insisted on a new opponent. He’ll get what he asked for in the new-and-improved Brian Ortega.
Brian Ortega’s fight with Max Holloway had a different outcome than Volkanovski’s. Ortega’s only MMA loss came to Max Holloway at UFC 231, and he would not compete again for nearly two full years. When he did return, Ortega displayed a level of striking never before showcased during his MMA career in his victory over The Korean Zombie. The unavoidable question after witnessing Ortega’s impressive performance was how this version of Ortega would look against reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski. We’ll get the answer on March 27.
No other bouts have currently been announced for UFC 260.
What’s your early prediction for this featherweight championship bout? Does Alexander Volkanovski get the win, or will it be Brian Ortega?
