UFC 260: Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Brian Ortega
After a pair of back-to-back fights with Max Holloway (the second being an incredibly close split decision), Alexander Volkanovski gets to move on in his career, for now, against Brian Ortega. Volkanovski is a beast of a featherweight, a man who once walked around, in his rugby days, upwards of 200lbs. Now, he’s the UFC’s 145lb champion, and he has given opponents fits.
The City Kickboxing standout has not lost since 2013, and that fight, outside the UFC, is the only blemish on his record. He has defeated Chad Mendes, defeated Jose Aldo, and beaten Holloway once, if not twice, depending on your thoughts on that split decision. Point being, not a single UFC fighter has solved the riddle of Volkanovski thus far.
Can Ortega be the first to do so? After being beaten, badly, by Holloway in “T-City’s” first title challenge, he’s hoping for a better result here. While that stands as Ortega’s only loss, he’s fought just once since then — a decision win over The Korean Zombie. Ortega therefore enters this fight as something of a question mark: how much has he developed since the Holloway fight?
The oddsmakers have Volkanovski the favorite, and for good reason, but Ortega is pretty close. That’s a bit of a disservice to Volkanovski, frankly. The Holloway fights have taken him to the next level, and he should be ready for anything Ortega can throw at him.
Prediction: Volkanovski retains.
