UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski Doesn’t Plan To Fight All Five Rounds

Though Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega are scheduled for five rounds, he said it won’t be going on for that long.

Volkanovski (22-1) said he feels great right now, has recovered from Covid-19 and he plans to finish Ortega early in their headliner Saturday night at UFC 266.

“I’ve always been confident in the job I need to do, but right now my confidence is on a whole other level to where winning is just not enough,” Volkanovski said.

“Going out there, winning is good, people always remember the winner, but at the same time, you go out there and send a statement, you go out there and entertain, that’s what people are gonna remember.”

It will be the second title defense for Volkanovski and the second title shot for Ortega.

They were supposed to meet each other in March, but Volkanovski suffered from Covid-19, postponing this fight. After that, they were coaches for a season on The Ultimate Fighter series.

Volkanovski fought nine times already in the UFC. Six of his victories are via decision and only three via TKO.

He earned his title via unanimous decision and defended it via split decision.

“He’s obviously proved that he has a great chin, and he’s hard to be finished, but I know I said this last night, but I need to go out there, and I need to finish this fight,” Volkanovski said. “I want to go out there, and I want to put him away, and I want to put him away early.”

The co-main event will be a title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Lauren Murphy. Nick Diaz is back against Robbie Lawler, and they will share the octagon under a potential five-round battle.

“It’s all about the entertainment this time,” Volkanovski said. “I want to go out there, and obviously I’m gonna go out there and win, but at the same time, I want to do it in wild fashion. I want to go out there and really send a statement.”