5 possible next opponents for Brian Ortega after UFC 266
Brian Ortega's second featherweight title shot went slightly better than his first but it wasn't enough as Alexander Volkanovski overcame adversity to clinch a one-sided unanimous-decision victory at UFC 266 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Following his loss to Max Holloway, Ortega had an excellent chance to finally sit on the featherweight throne. Although he had Volkanovski on the ropes in the third round with two submission attempts, 'T-City' took a lot of damage after conceding a speed advantage in the striking department.
🇦🇺 @alexvolkanovski 🏆
What a war! And the champ gets it done! 💪
#UFC266 #AndStill https://t.co/IAZZnInI7B
It's back to the drawing board for Ortega, who is still only 30 years old and has time to work his way back into title contention. Here are five possible next opponents for Brian Ortega after UFC 266.
#5 Brian Ortega vs Alexander Volkanovski 2
While the scorecards for UFC 266's main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega read 49-46, 50-45 and 50-44 for the champion, the fight was a lot closer than the numbers suggest. Volkanovski was the deserved winner in Las Vegas, but Ortega wasn't completely dominated.
#UFC266 Official Scorecard: Alexander Volkanovski (@AlexVolkanovski) vs Brian Ortega
All Tonight's Scorecards: ufc.com/news/ufc-266-v… https://t.co/JJmIZqKzi9
The first two rounds were extremely tight, with Volkanovski doing just enough to edge them. He was caught on the backfoot a few times as Ortega used a sharp jab to keep him at distance and needed to rely on volume to clinch the rounds.
The third round saw Ortega crank two submissions that had Volkanovksi in trouble, but the Australian pushed through both of them to deal out severe damage to 'T-City'. The fifth and final round saw the California native catch a second wind despite painful bruising around both his eyes, and he arguably should've been given the round as he finished it on the offensive.
The winner of the upcoming featherweight bout between Yair Rodriguez and Max Holloway is expected to determine the next title challenger, but neither fighter could be deserving of a shot. While 'En Pantera' has been inactive for a long period of time, Holloway has lost to Volkanovski twice already.
Ortega might turn out to be the only viable candidate for Volkanovski's next title defense.