UFC 266 takeaways: Alex Volkanovski starting to get respect he deserves with star-defining performance
- ‘The Great’ reminds the world why he is UFC featherweight champ and one of the pound-for-pound best on the planet
- Elsewhere, Valentina Shevchenko was perfection personified – again – but women’s flyweight title picture is no clearer
Alexander Volkanovski no doubt put in a star-defining performance against Brian Ortega on Saturday night’s UFC 266 card in Las Vegas.
The two were originally supposed to battle in March before Volkanovski got Covid-19, and this summer’s new season of The Ultimate Fighter then extended the wait for the big featherweight title clash. But unlike Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler’s rematch earlier in the evening evening, this was a wait that was well worth it.
The Australian champion (23-1) and his American challenger (15-2, one no contest) took each other to the limit, Volkanovski with his heavy strikes and Ortega using his ridiculous submission ability. Round three of the contest was an undeniable round-of-the-year candidate – if not the greatest round of all time – and we almost saw the title change hands in an instant, multiple times.
A wave of choke attempts in the form of a guillotine, D‘Arce, and triangle all put Volkanovski in serious trouble. Miraculously, “The Great” would survive them all, unlike almost everyone else who has fought Ortega. Once free and on top of “T-City”, Volkanovski provided a nasty assault via ground and pound punches that nearly stopped the fight and arguably should have – Ortega even needed help getting back to his feet between frames.
Ortega‘s heart and toughness shined through for the remaining two rounds but Volkanovski reminded the world why he is the champion and one of the best in the world. His 20th straight win and second successful title defence came in the form of a unanimous judges’ call by the time the dust had settled.
