Brian Ortega isn’t short of confidence heading into his title challenge at UFC 266 this Saturday. Although he’s scheduled to face fellow The Ultimate Fighter coach Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski, Ortegas know exactly what he wants next.
Ortega told TMZ Sports that he wants Max Holloway. “I’m not trying to speak ahead or get past Volkanovski because he beat Max twice, so I’m not here to already start celebrating but that would be ideal.
Ortega Already Looking Past Volkanovski to Holloway Rematch
I’m a better person, a better fighter than I was when I fought him and watching his last fight, so is he. You always want that.
As a fighter, as a competitor, you always want to make that sh*t square or to say, ‘Yo dog, you know what? You legit got the best of me. Good sh*t.”
When Ortega faced Max Holloway at UFC 231, Holloway demolished Ortega with a striking masterclass. Since then, says the title challenger, he has honed his striking ability, climbing what he described as a “technical mountain”.
“I’m climbing this technical mountain, to speak. These guys are already there. They’re far beyond me, I admit that, like some technical sh*t. But when I get in there, I’m different.
There’s some things you can’t teach through technique. On the spot, on the go, when I’m in your face, when I touch you, when I hit you, I make you feel different things. That’s always been my advantage, and now I’m adding technique to it.
I’m climbing, I’m climbing, I’m climbing, I’m learning. I’m only getting more dangerous.” Ortega’s loss against Max Holloway remains the only one of his career. If he truly has improved since then, the featherweight division would be right to worry. First, however, Ortega needs to take on the champ.
Volkanovski’s last fight was a second victory over Max Holloway, albeit a controversial one. Volkanovski recently admitted that he wasn’t at his best when he took on Max Holloway last year, but believes that his ability to grind out a victory despite a sub-par performance is precisely why he’s the champ.
“I didn’t turn it up that day and I still got the job done. That just shows you that there are levels to this and that I’m no joke. I’m going to turn up the next fight 100 percent and I’m not going to give him any rounds just like the first fight. I’m going to start off stronger and I’m going to finish even stronger.”
Will Ortega or Volkanovski be the first to get a rematch against Max Holloway? Let us know in the comments.
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