There’s some bad news for Alex Volkanovski ahead of his UFC 260 title defense against Brian Ortega: He is the betting favorite.
Alex Volkanovski may be the undisputed UFC featherweight champion, but he still feeds off being the underdog. When he faced Jose Aldo at UFC 237, he was an underdog who went on to cruise to a unanimous-decision victory. He was then an underdog when he faced Max Holloway the first time, who was placed as a 2 to 1 favorite in their UFC 245 bout. Again, Volkanovski proved the doubters wrong with another unanimous-decision win.
Volkanovski Prefers To Prove Doubters Wrong As Underdog
When Volkanovski was placed as a favorite in their rematch, the fight was much closer, and Holloway nearly took home the split decision that ultimately went the way of Volkanovski. So when Volkanovski hears all the hype around Brian Ortega 2.0 after Ortega’s flawless victory over The Korean Zombie last October, he sees it as an opportunity to go back to his roots of proving doubters wrong.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie of those picking Ortega to uncrown him. “I always say I love being the underdog. Am I going to be the underdog this fight? I don’t know. We’ll see. If we do, I don’t care. I’m gonna make my supporters money. That’s how I look at it. So I love being the underdog. I love people doubting me. That’s what I want.
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“At the end of the day, I’m just gonna go out there and prove them wrong again and then let them doubt me again after that. Again, I’m going to keep making my boys money, making my supporters money, and I love it.
“So I love being the underdog. I don’t mind it one bit. So bring it on. I hope he’s favored, honestly.”
Unfortunately for Alex Volkanovski, current odds have him placed as a 2 to 1 favorite over Brian Ortega, so he will have to settle for making the majority of betters money this time around.
UFC 260 takes place March 27, 2021 from the UFC APEX. The headliner will feature Stipe Miocic defending the heavyweight title against Francis Ngannou.
Who do you think should be the betting favorite between featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski and Brian Ortega?