Image courtesy: @BrianTcity|@alexvolkanovski/Twitter
The UFC266 main event was all set to witness one of the finest duels in the history of the sport on the 26th of September. One side there was Alexander Volkanovski, an Australian fighter and the current champion in the Featherweight division. He was to defend his title against the number 2 ranked contender, Brain Ortega from the USA.
There was a great buildup to the fight because of the participation of both the athletes in the Ultimate Fighter TV show where they were coaching opposite to each other and their contrasting fighting styles were for the first time witnessed by the world. One more thing that made this match most awaited was the fact that it was due to be played last year but got postponed due to Corona Virus related complications.
Alexander Volkanovski came into the game with a record of 22 wins and 1 loss. He was surrounded by some controversies after his match against Max Holloway and was expected to return to the ring to clear them off. Ortega on the other hand rose to stardom as an undefeated champion. However, Holloway beat him to it. Hence, Ortega was eyeing this match as another opportunity for the title shot.
Ortega fought out of the blue corner, while Volkanovski was representing the red. The match started on a very high note, with both fighters going for each other’s throats to mark their presence. The first blood was drawn by Volkanovski, as he came out as physically superior over Ortega in the first two rounds.
Ortega changed the complexion of the match from the third round onwards as he successfully completed two takedowns. Not only that, on both occasions he managed to grapple his opponent in deadly submission holds. The Australian however was not going to succumb to it. He showed great resilience to fight back Ortega’s hold and landed some serious blows which weakened his opponent considerably. Between the rounds, the referee was forced to check on the American boy Ortega, for he had a badly swollen face. But the 30-year-old was not willing to give up this easily.
This fight has us LIKE 🤯😳👀 #UFC266 pic.twitter.com/vl86i8JftK
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
The story of the fourth round was also similar to the third one, as Ortega kept going for the submissions and Volkanovski somehow managed to keep him at bay. By the end of the round, it was almost survival for the American, as Volkanovski rained upon him a barrage of punches. Using his long legs to his advantage Ortega somehow managed to survive the round.
Usually, when matches like these enter the fifth round it is expected that one of the fighters is bound to give in to the fatigue. It didn’t happen in this match though. Both Ortega and Volkanovski were very unrelenting till the very end of the round.
Although both the fighters put up a great fight, there could be only one winner. And Alexander Volkanovski was chosen as the winner by Unanimous decision and still remains as the Feather Weight Champion.
The GREAT remains #ANDSTILL 🏆@AlexVolkanovski makes his successful second title defense! #UFC266 pic.twitter.com/kWqqrffsyM
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
