They spent months in a proxy war with each other. Now comes the true test.
Alexander Volkanovski will defend his undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against Brian Ortega in the UFC 266 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While they have yet to meet in battle, champion and challenger have the kind of familiarity that breeds contempt: They coached opposite one another on the recently completed 29th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Volkanovski enters the cage on an incredible 19-fight winning streak. He last appeared at UFC 251, where he retained his championship with a split decision over Max Holloway in their July 11, 2020 rematch. Ortega, meanwhile, has rattled off seven wins across his past eight outings. He last competed on Oct. 17, when he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over Chan Sung Jung in the UFC Fight Night 180 main event.
As Volkanovski and Ortega pore over the remaining details related to their showdown, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
32: Years of age for Volkanovski, who was born on Sept. 29, 1988 in Shellharbour, Australia.
11: Volkanovski victories via knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 50% of his career total (22). His list of UFC victims: Chad Mendes, Jeremy Kennedy and Yusuke Kasuya. Volkanovski owns three other victories by submission and eight more by decision.
6.16: Strikes landed by Volkanovski per minute of UFC competition, placing him third on the promotion’s all-time list for featherweights. Only Shane Burgos (7.29) and the aforementioned Holloway (7.18) have connected at a higher rate at 145 pounds.
651: Days spent by Volkanovski as undisputed UFC featherweight champion. He captured the title with a unanimous decision over Holloway in their first encounter at UFC 245 on Dec. 14, 2019. It ranks as the division’s third-longest single reign behind Jose Aldo (1,848 days) and Holloway (925 days).
.725: Cumulative winning percentage between the eight fighters Volkanovski has defeated in the UFC: Holloway, Aldo, Mendes, Kennedy, Kasuya, Darren Elkins, Shane Young and Mizuto Hirota. They boast a combined record of 153-54-4.
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30: Years of age for Ortega, who was born in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 1991.
7: Ortega wins by submission, accounting for 47% of his career total (15). His methods of choice: four triangle chokes, two guillotine chokes and one rear-naked choke. Ortega holds three other wins by knockout or technical knockout and five more by decision.
8: Submission attempts for Ortega as a UFC featherweight, tying him for eighth on the organization’s active list at 145 pounds. Only Elkins (22), Chas Skelly (17), Charles Oliveira (16), Charles Rosa (10), Bryce Mitchell (10), Rani Yahya (nine) and Darrick Minner (nine) have tried more.
4: First-round finishes on the Ortega resume. However, he has authored only one of them inside the Octagon. Ortega wiped out former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar with punches 4:44 into their UFC 222 pairing on March 3, 2018.
.667: Cumulative winning percentage between the seven fighters Ortega has beaten in the UFC: Jung, Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Carneiro, Clay Guida, Diego Brandao and Thiago Tavares. They sport a combined record of 168-81-3.