Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski has not scored a finish in the Octagon since 2018. Over nine UFC victories, he has stopped his opponent early just three times. It seems his history of going to the judges has gotten to him, and the Aussie has a fever for a finish at UFC 266.
Alexander Volkanovski needs a finish at UFC 266
As he readies for his latest title defense on September 25, Volkanovski, 32, has designs of putting on a show inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Scoring an entertaining finish over opponent Brian Ortega is of such high priority that he is envisioning those moments throughout his champ-camp.
“Right now, it’s just something different. While I’m in sparring, I’m trying to picture finishes everywhere no matter where it is. It’s all about the entertainment this time. I want to go out there and obviously, I’m gonna go out there and win, but at the same time, I want to do it in wild fashion,” Volkanovski told MMAJunkie. “I want to go out there and really send a statement. I want people leaving that arena going, ‘Wow, how good was that,’ absolutely blown away by what I went and done in there. So that’s something that I feel like has definitely changed.”
Getting a finish against his The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 coaching counterpart Ortega (15-1) will be no easy task. The American has lost just once in 16 professional bouts. In that lone loss to former champion Max Holloway in 2018, “T-City” took 244 strikes to his head and never gave up. It was the doctors who stepped in by the fourth round and ended it after seeing enough damage inflicted.
“The Great” understands the stiff test in front of him, and it just makes his desire to get a finish that much more of an imperative. Because if he stopped Ortega, it would be the exact sort of resounding statement he’s looking to make.
“I’ve always had a wild pace being a high-volume type of fighter and things like that. He’s obviously proved that he has a great chin, and he’s hard to be finished, but I know I said this last fight, I need to go out there and I need to finish this fight. I want to go out there, and I want to put him away, and I want to put him away early,” said Volkanovski.
“A lot of people think that can’t be done because he’s durable, but I definitely believe I can go out there and do that. That is my goal. Going out there and finish. I won’t be happy unless I knock him out or even submit him or TKO or something like that. I’m going out there to do some damage and put on a show for everyone there.”
Volkanovski (22-1) will face Ortega in the main event of UFC 266 on September 25. The main card will air exclusively on pay-per-view via ESPN+ for a cost of US $69.99.
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