The UFC's run of booking action-packed title bouts to kick off 2021 has only continued Saturday as featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has agreed to face Brian Ortega on March 27, according report from ESPN's Ariel Helwani. The UFC is hoping to slate the 145-pound title bout as the co-main event for a UFC 260 pay-per-view card which could be headlined by a heavyweight rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. The proposed site of the card remains undetermined.
The 32-year-old Volkanovski is fresh off a pair of decision wins over former champion Max Holloway, including a disputed split decision in their 2020 rematch. Volkanovski (22-1) is 9-0 since making his UFC debut five years ago, and the native of Australia hasn't lost since his fourth pro bout in 2013.
Ortega (15-1, 1 NC) will enter his second shot at the UFC featherweight title after losing a fourth-round TKO via doctor stoppage to Holloway in a brutal 2018 fight. Nearly two years of inactivity followed as Ortega, 29, battled various injuries before returning in October with a dominant decision win over Chan Sung Jung.
UFC 260 will take place three weeks after a loaded UFC 259 card featuring a trio of title bouts atop the marquee including Jan Blachowicz-Israel Adesanya, Amanda Nunes-Megan Anderson and Petr Yan-Aljamain Sterling.
