Brian “T-City” Ortega is scheduled to headline his second title shot against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266. It has been quite a while where Max Holloway was not involved in a feather title match. Although Holloway has fought both of these fighters and will likely fight the winner of the title fight as well.
Brian Ortega’s one defeat in his career was in the hands of none other than Max Holloway. It was a one-sided beatdown that forced Ortega to take time and recover from the beating. It was until more than a year and a half that Ortega decided to return and face the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung.
In the fight, many thought that Sung Jung would have the upper hand in the striking department and that Ortega will look to take the fight on the ground but that was not the case. Ortega outstrikes Sung Jung and even knocked him down, it showcased a masterclass for Ortega.
For those who have not watched the Brian Ortega vs Chan Sung Jung fight, you can watch the full fight for free below.
Ortega may only have one win since his title shot loss but he just beat Sung Jung who was supposedly up for a title shot had he beaten Ortega. It was sad to see as a Sung Jung fan, but how could you deny Ortega’s great performance. There is no more clear-cut to fight for the title right than Ortega.
The featherweight division is a bit in an awkward spot right now since Zabit Magomedsharipov who showed huge potential to become the next champion hasn’t fought for quite a while due to health issues. Many even say that Zabit will never fight again. Another prospect was Yair Rodriguez and many have not heard from him.
Max Holloway just beat Calvin Kattar in a brutal fashion, we may not see Kattar fight soon as he needs to recover after that one-sided beating as well. Brian Ortega’s win against Sung Jung was simply at the right place and time. He just needed one win to fight for the title.
Although he is facing a fighter that has beaten Max Holloway twice, and yes styles make fights but Volkanovski has shown to make great adjustments mid-fight. Volkanovski also throws volume leg kicks and his feints are one of those tricky parts that makes him hard to read. After all, Volkanovski trains at the same gym as Israel Adesanya.
It will be interesting to see what Ortega’s strategy will be against Volkanovski, will he use his newly improved striking? or will he stick to his high-level BJJ of course mixing it will be the best strategy but sometimes opportunities don’t often present themselves.
