Michael Bisping gives his prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega at UFC 266

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Alexander Volkanovski (left), Michael Bisping (central), Brian Ortega (right) [Images Courtesy: @alexvolkanovski @mikebisping @briantcity on Instagram]

With UFC 266 now only days away, Michael Bisping has given his take on who wins the card's headline bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

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Volkanovski is the UFC's current featherweight champion. He claimed it from Max Holloway, and then defended it in a subsequent rematch. Brian Ortega came up short against Max Holloway when he tried to capture the title. He has since put on a dominant performance against Chan Sung Jung to move back into title contention.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping had a clear prediction of how this fight will play out. 'The Count' states that Ortega will not be able to force the fight to the mat, thus meaning the majority of the fight will be dictated by striking exchanges, in which he favors the champion.

Michael Bisping made the following prediction:

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"This fight's gonna play out on the feet. I don't think Brian Ortega has the wrestling to take down Volkanovski. Volkanovski's takedown defense has been fantastic so far... So it's gonna play out on the feet... History shows that out of that matchup Alexander Volkanovski probably wins... I might be wrong but I have Alexander Volkanovski winning this fight via decision."

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Michael Bisping on the effect coaching TUF will have on Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega's rivalry

Michael Bisping also discussed the impact being rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter could have on the mentalities Volkanovski and Ortega have towards one other.

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Michael Bisping himself previously coached and competed on TUF. He knows firsthand the effect being in such an environment can have on one's perception of their rival.

He states that:

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"They did The Ultimate Fighter together. Let me tell ya, I've coached that twice, I was on there as a contestant. You do grow to hate your co-coach... Because you're around each other, every single day. And they start doing something that annoys you. Maybe it's the training time, maybe they want to train ten till twelve but you want that time, but they get their own way. Just little things like that. They start to irk you. They start to bother you. Then let's say your opponent's team, they start winning all the fights and all the rest of it. You take that personally."

You can check out Michael Bisping's full prediction video below:

Here are the Latest UFC Predictions by Sportskeeda

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