Watch: Alexander Volkanovski takes on 4 sparring partners consecutively in preparation for Brian Ortega bout at UFC 266
Alexander Volkanovski will look to defend his featherweight strap against Brian Ortega in the main event of UFC 266. Volkanovski is seemingly leaving no stone unturned in preparing for his second title defense.
In a video recently uploaded to his own YouTube channel, Alexander Volkanovski is seen taking on four sparring partners consecutively. The Australian's partners took on the champ one after another for five rounds, alternating between striking, grappling and holding the mitts.
Here's a look at Alexander Volkanovski's high intensity training session:
Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega featured as rival coaches in the 29th season of The Ultimate Fighter. The TUF 29 finale took place at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Chikadze and both winners were from Team Volkanovski.
Ricky Turcios emerged victorious in the bantamweight contest. Bryan Battle, meanwhile, was the winner at middleweight. Coaches Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega will now clash for the UFC featherweight title on September 25 at UFC 266.
What Alexander Volkanovski learned about Brian Ortega during the filming of TUF
Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega had several heated moments during their time as rival TUF coaches.Volkanovski recently questioned Ortega's fight IQ during an episode of The Late Show.
According to Alexander Volkanovski, he learned a lot about Brian Ortega during the filming of TUF.
The Australian believes Ortega's fight IQ is not at par with other elite level fighters like himself. Volkanovski recently told Matty Johns on FOX League:
“I’ve certainly learned more about him. I don’t want to sound cocky but (during filming) you could hear him explaining things to his fighters, he was saying the right things without totally understanding it. I think he has watched, say, my last couple of fights with Max Holloway and said to himself, 'OK, I need to change my game’. So now he’s trying to understand what the top guys are doing. Not only in our division but others. I feel like his team has said ‘we’ll work on this, this and this'. So, right now, (Ortega) thinks he understands this chess game we’re about to play. But he’s going to realise, and real quick, that he doesn’t.”