Brian Ortega still thinks he’s the man to dethrone UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Ortega (15-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) came close to handing Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) his first octagon loss when the pair squared off in a title fight last September at UFC 266. Although it was mostly a dominant performance for Volkanovski, Ortega had the champion in a world of trouble when he dropped him and quickly latched onto a deep guillotine choke in Round 3.
The choke had Volkanovski gargling, but he managed to power out of multiple submissions before turning things around. But with his gritty standup style and slick submission skills, Ortega is confident he has what it takes to stop Volkanovski if he gets another chance.
“I would love that personally because I feel like from what the world’s seeing is he’s won the belt, he’s defended the belt, and the one person that gave him the hardest time was me,” Ortega said in an interview with Inside Fighting. “(I) put him in the most danger he’s ever been in his career. …
“I just put him in the most danger and people noticed that, people saw. I’m just a deadly opponent for him. Obviously I’m always gonna train to win, to fight this guy and beat this guy. I believe I have the tools and capabilities to do so if I play my cards right. So it’s all about seeing how I can play my cards right and going in there and finishing this man.”
But first, Ortega has to get through Yair Rodriguez (13-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 3 main event in Long Island. Ortega’s only two losses have come in championship fights, but if he gets past Rodriguez, he’s not sure if it’s enough for another crack at the title.
“It’s hard for me to decide, honestly,” Ortega said. “I could see a lot of people lately be like, ‘This guy, you already got two shots.’ So at this point it ain’t my job anymore. I need to do may job and fight and win and basically see where politics and how this sh*t goes out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 3.
