5 UFC stars who didn't fight in the first half of 2021
Two of the biggest stars in the octagon will headline UFC 264 as Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier engage in a trilogy bout to conclude their storied rivalry. Despite the obvious lack of title fights, the pay-per-view event is shaping up to be one of the biggest cards of the year, with several high-profile fighters set to make an appearance.
Top contenders Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson and Kevin Lee will look to get one step closer to title contention. At the same time, cult heroes (or villains) Sean O'Malley, Ryan Hall, and Greg Hardy continue on their quest to crack the top 15 of their respective divisions.
We've seen many of our favorite UFC stars fight in recent months and we'll see more return soon. But there are a handful of big names who have noticeably been missing in action. As we approach the second half of 2021, let's take a look at five UFC stars who we have yet to see in the octagon this year.
#5 UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski
After handing Max Holloway back-to-back losses, Alexander Volkanovski was scheduled to defend the UFC featherweight title against Brian Ortega in the co-main event of 260. Unfortunately, the Australian champion tested positive COVID-19 several days before the event, forcing him to withdraw from the fight.
Instead of rescheduling the fight immediately, however, Volkanovski and Ortega both agreed to participate as coaches in returning reality show The Ultimate Fighter. As a result, their pending title fight will have to wait until TUF 29 wraps up.
Volkanovski captured the featherweight title in a controversial unanimous decision win against Holloway at UFC 245 in 2019. But he got the job done once again when he edged the Hawaiian-born fighter in a championship rematch seven months later.