Brian Ortega still doesn’t understand how Alexander Volkanovski didn’t tap to his chokes at UFC 266: “How in the f**k did this man get out of that choke?”

Brian Ortega still can’t believe Alexander Volkanovski didn’t tap at UFC 266.

In the third round of their featherweight title fight, Ortega appeared to lock in a guillotine and a triangle choke on two separate occasions and both appeared to be tight. Volkanovski’s face was going red but somehow the champ was able to escape and nearly a year later, ‘T-City’ doesn’t understand how.

“I sat there and I looked at that tape over and over again, and I go how in the f**k did this man get out of that choke?. I was on top celebrating, I’ll be honest with you,” Ortega said at media day on Wednesday. “I was in there, and I had him in that guillotine, and I was like, I’m about to be a world champ. I was just waiting for the tap, and it never came. He got out, and I was like s**t, this is a tough motherf****r, and then it was like, he’s on top now. Like okay, he’s pissed. The triangle, I was like, T-City by T-City,’and then he escaped. I’m like, f**k me, right?’ Then I was like, damn, bro, this is not my f*****g night, or what’s going on.”

After Alexander Volkanovski got out of the choke, he then began to settle back in and controlled the fight to win a decision and retain his belt. It marked the second time Ortega has come up short as he lost by TKO to Max Holloway back at UFC 231 in 2018 for the belt.

Brian Ortega is set to headline UFC Long Island against Yair Rodriguez in a crucial fight for the featherweight division. If Ortega wins, perhaps he gets another title shot and another crack at Volkanovski and can make the right adjustments to sink in the choke.

Were you surprised Alexander Volkanovski got out of Brian Ortega’s choke at UFC 266?