Brian Ortega drops potential timetable for UFC featherweight title fight with Alexander Volkanovski

Top contender Brian Ortega dropped a potential timetable for his UFC featherweight title fight against champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Ortega is coming off of a tremendous victory as he pitched a shutout and won a unanimous decision over The Korean Zombie on Fight Island earlier this month. It was Ortega’s first fight in nearly two years since a TKO loss to Max Holloway in December 2018, and after the win UFC president Dana White hinted that Ortega would be next in line for Volkanovski. The champ also seems excited about a matchup with “T-City.”

Speaking to Matt Serra and Jim Norton on the latest episode of “UFC Unfiltered,” Ortega dropped a potential timetable for when he believes he could face off against Volkanovski.

“That’s a hell of a fight (against Volkanovski),” Ortega said. “He said February. From what I’ve seen on the Internet, Volkanovski said he’ll be ready in February. So we’ll see what happens, exactly right. We’ll see when he talks to Dana (White) or whoever he talks to and we’ll see what date comes up, or where and when, that’s the big question.”

Fresh off his win over The Korean Zombie, Ortega is currently the No. 2 ranked contender at 145lbs, behind only former champion Max Holloway. With Holloway coming off of two losses in a row to Volkanovski, it seems unlikely that he will be getting the next title shot, and with fighters like Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez so inactive as of late, it seems unlikely that they will be considered, either. So at this point, it’s Ortega’s to lose.

With the UFC already starting to book its early 2021 schedule, look for the UFC to book Volkanovski’s next title defense soon. One card that makes sense is UFC 258 in February. With UFC 257 in January set to feature Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2, and with UFC 259 in March being targeted as Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2, UFC 258 seems like it could be the eventual home for the Volkanovski vs. Ortega featherweight title matchup.

Do you think Brian Ortega has what it takes to beat Alex Volkanovski?