LAS VEGAS — Alexander Volkanovski retained his UFC featherweight title Saturday night with a unanimous decision victory over Brian Ortega in a Fight of the Year candidate in the main event of UFC 266 at T-Moblie Arena.
The scores read 49-46, 50-45 and 50-44, but the fight was a lot closer than that. It was an intense battle; Volkanovski used his relentless pressure to wear down Ortega, but that almost ended up being his undoing in the third round.
Volkanovski was ahead when he walked into a right hand that put him down. Ortega sensed the opportunity and pounced on his fallen opponent intending to submit the Australian. Ortega sunk in a deep guillotine that had Volkanovski's face changing colors as he kicked and struggled to escape. Somehow, he managed to slip out when it appeared he'd be forced to go to sleep. But he wasn't out of danger. Ortega chained into a triangle choke that again had Volkanovski scrambling for air. Once again, he escaped. Then he detonated a series of bombs via ground and pound that nearly finished Ortega.
Volkanovski settled down after the scare and cautiously used pressure, leg kicks and power punching to keep the rugged Ortega away. Volkanovski won the fight but, more importantly, won the respect of fans across the globe with his remarkable resiliency.
In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko continued her dominance of the flyweight division as she retained her title. She steamrolled Lauren Murphy in securing a fourth-round TKO.
Nick Diaz's highly anticipated return to the Octagon didn't go quite as planned. He was stopped in the third round by Robbie Lawler after a right hand seemingly broke his nose.
Sporting News had live updates and highlights from UFC 266. Here's how it all went down (all times Eastern).
UFC 266 live updates, highlights from Volkanovski vs. Ortega
Alexander Volkanovski survives scare, retains with unanimous decision over Brian Ortega
Scores: 49-46, 50-45, 50-44
Round 5 (1:08 a.m.): Ortega lands a right hand. Alex moves in, pops a jab and resets. Ortega tries a takedown but comes up short. Volkanovski lands a combination. Couple of jabs from Ortega and a right hand. Alex lands a one-two. Hard right hand by Alex. Two minutes left. Alex with a jab. Ortega lands three punches but Volkanovski is unbothered. Flying knee from Ortega misses. Volk catches a leg kick and lands a right hand. Ortega lands bombs in the closing seconds. Hell of a fight. 10-9, Ortega (49-46, Volkanovski)
Round 4 (1:01 a.m.): Ortega opens the round with a right hand. Volk with a leg kick. Right hand lands and sends Volk backward. Left hand response by Alex. Ortega with a clinch and looking for a takedown. He gets it. Guillotine! Volk escapes. Here we go again. Volkanovski is back on top and about to go to work on Ortega's face. They are scrambling. This is intense. Volkanovski stands and is throwing bombs that are landing. Volkanovski is tired of the ground game and tells Ortega to get up. They stand and Volk lands a combination as the round ends. 10-9, Volkanovski (40-36, Volkanovski)
Round 3 (12:54 a.m.): Leg kick nearly trips Ortega up. Volkanovski's leg kicks are doing damage. They exchange along the cage and Ortega lands a right hand on the way out. Volkanovski's pressure is exhausting. Combination by Volkanovski bounces off Ortega's head. Another right hand by Volkanovski. Ortega lands a right hand. Drops him. Sinks in a guillotine!!! Volkanovski struggles to survive! Volkanovski sweeps! He's on top of Ortega and landing bombs. Triangle by Ortega!!!!! Volkanovski is handing on for dear life! He escapes!!! Oh, my god!! Volkanovski unloads on Ortega as the round comes to a close!!! My god, what a round. Ortega is still down and his face is destroyed. 10-9, Volkanovski (30-27, Volkanovski)
Round 2 (12:48 a.m.): Right cross coutner by Ortega off the leg kick. Volkanovski is pressuring Ortega. Leg kick by Ortega catches Volkanovski. Right hand lands. Volkanovski with a combination and presses forward. Ortega's face is busting up pretty bad. Another combination from Volkanovski. Round ends and they press foreheads and talk to each other. 10-9, Volkanovski (20-18, Volkanovski)
Round 1 (12:42 a.m.): Leg kicks from Alex. Ortega lands a right hand. Both very tentative. Hard jab by Volkanovski. They exchange punches. Hard leg kick by Ortega. Ortega already has a mark on his left eye. More leg kicks by Volkanovski. He's opening up more. Another jab lands. Counter right by Ortega opens a cut on Volkanovski's cheek. Hard left hand by Ortega and Volkanovski responds with a leg kick and more pressure. Ortega counters and rocks Alex with a right hand. Stiff jab by Alex again. 10-9, Volkanovski
Valentina Shevchenko obliterates Lauren Murphy in fourth-round TKO
Round 4 (12:15 a.m.): Shevchenko lands a right hand and Murphy is like, "Nah, I don't want to be here." Shevchenko slips and the crowd gets excited because of the severe lack of drama in this fight. Shevchenko lands a right hand and a kick. Murphy stumbles and Shevchenko pounces. She's obliterating her. They go to the ground and Murphy is hanging on for dear life. Shevchenko is blasting Murphy with ground and pound until the ref saves Murphy's life. It's over.
Round 3 (12:09 a.m.): This is a sparring session. Shevchenko lands an overhand left and is waiting for Murphy to do something but her opponent isn't interested in taking chances. There are no answers for Shevchenko. She's just picking her apart and making Murphy look remedial. Total domination from Shevchenko. 10-9, Shevchenko (30-27, Shevchenko)
Round 2 (12:03 a.m.): Shevchenko is unable to get a takedown but lands a combination. Murphy has done nothing of consequence yet. She's just kind of there. Counter right hand lights Murphy up. Body kick by Shevchenko and a takedown. If you're Murphy maybe you just close your eyes and hope it doesn't hurt. Murphy hanging on for dear life and Shevchenko tries to get her leg out from half guard. One fighter is trying to kill and the other is trying to survive. 10-9, Shevchenko (20-18, Shevchenko)
Round 1 (11:57 p.m.): Valentina lands an overhand right as Murphy rushes in. Body kick by Shevchenko. Murphy looks overwhelmed and scared to get hit. Murphy catches a leg kick but eats a right hand for her trouble. Shevchenko's speed is too much. Shevchenko chops her with a leg kick. Lands a combination. It's already all bad. Spinning backfist by Shevchenko lands. Murphy eats a counter right hand and is taken down. Easy first round for Shevchenko. 10-9, Shevchenko
Robbie Lawler makes Nick Diaz say 'No Mas' in third-round stoppage
Round 3 (11:34 p.m.): Diaz opens up and goes right to Lawler's body. Left hand drops Diaz and Lawler tells him to get up. Diaz says "Naw" and quits. Fight is over.
Round 2 (11:28 p.m.): Diaz with a head kick and a combination to start the round. Lawler bulls forward and lands a combination and a short knee. Diaz with three uppercuts. Diaz just continues to pick off Lawler whenever he closes the distance. This is a strange fight. But it's fun. Lawler can't find an opening and Diaz won't stop punching. Diaz with a hard body shot but Lawler keeps walking him down. He has to land something though to make a difference. Lawler lands a combination. Diaz has slowed down some more. Lawler is landing with more frequency toward the end of the round and Diaz can't find the mark. Lawler hurts him with a body shot and lands five punches in a row to close the round. 10-9, Lawler (19-19)
Round 1 (11:22 p.m.): Lawler is swarming Diaz from the opening bell. Diaz looks slow and Robbie is crisp. Diaz is talking to Lawler and lands a body kick. Body punch. They exchange on the inside and Diaz lands a long right hand. Hands are being thrown. Diaz with a combination. Lawler with a head kick and Diaz responds with a combination. Lawler presses forward and Diaz just unloads a combination. Everything looks slow from Diaz but it's working. Lawler launches bombs and Diaz responds. Lawler with a combination and this is a fight. 10-9 . . . Diaz?
Curtis Blaydes uses takedowns to upend Jairzinho Rozenstruik
11:02 p.m.: It wasn't fun but Blaydes and his wrestling (predictably) got him the victory. Strange that all three judges scored it 30-27 when it looked like Rozenstruik earned at least one round. Nevertheless, Blaydes is back in the win column and will look to get a top heavyweight the next time out.
10:54 p.m.: The second round found Blaydes a little more cautious and a left hand from Rozenstruik nearly took him out of the game. Somehow, he also survived a flying knee and secured a takedown. But Rozenstruik did enough to squeeze out the round and let Blaydes know not to try any funny business.
10:47 p.m.: As expected, Blaydes took Rozenstruik down. He didn't do much with it but it was enough to control the initial frame. Rozenstruik simply cannot wait for Blaydes and will have to throw caution to the wind at some point.
Jessica Andrade pulverizes Cynthia Calvillo for first-round stoppage
10:26 p.m.: Andrade was just too strong for Calvillo and simply stalked her prey, blasted her with power shots and wore her down. Calvillo didn't have the power to land a shot to get Andrade off of her and when the round was about to end, Andrade cranked up the pressure, trapped Calvillo and became the first person to stop her with a barrage of strikes right before the round ended. Brutal.
9:51 p.m.: After an utterly ridiculous first round, Dvalishvili completes the comeback by smashing Moraes into smithereens in the second round. He opened the right with a right hand and took Moraes down. For the next four minutes he smashed him with every limb he could legally use until referee Keith Peterson stopped the fight with 35 seconds left. An absolutely surreal comeback.
9:45 p.m.: One of the most insane first rounds of the year. Moraes clobbered Dvalishvili and had him dead to rights with a vicious striking assault. Somehow, Dvalishvili survived, collected himself, took Moraes down and closed the round pummeling Moraes. Absolutely insane.
How did Merab survive this 🤯
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
[ #UFC266 | Prelims Live NOW on ESPN+ & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/JSn96gVPbi
9:34 p.m.: To close out the prelims before the pay-per-view begins, Marlon Moraes will look to snap a two-fight losing streak against Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is riding a six-fight winning streak but Moraes is, by far, his toughest challenge.
9:30 p.m.: Dan Hooker was the fan favorite tonight and left the fans satisfied with a unanimous decision victory. A bounceback for him following a heartbreaking knockout loss to Michael Chandler. The win was dominant and Hooker is still a major player in the lightweight division.
9:02 p.m.: We're cageside for UFC 266 just as Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast are making their walks to the cage under unique circumstances. Both had problems getting into the United States due to COVID security measures. They not only ended up getting to Las Vegas, but they also made weight. No matter what happens tonight, they are both winners in my book.
Volkanovski vs. Ortega start time
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 25
- Start time: 6 p.m. ET | 3 p.m. PT
- Main card (PPV): 10 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. PT
- Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET | 9:15 p.m. PT (approximate)
UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega takes place on Sept. 25 with the early prelims kicking off the event at 6 p.m. ET, before the pay-per-view main card begins at 10 p.m. ET. Volkanovski and Ortega should enter the Octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET, depending on the length of the undercard bouts.
How to watch UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega
- TV channels/live stream: ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
The main card for UFC 266 is available in the U.S. on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. That portion of the event begins at 10 p.m. ET.
Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN, the WatchESPN app and, for the early prelims, UFC Fight Pass.
In Canada, the main-card pay-per-view is available on Bell, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
UFC 266 fight card
Main Card
- Alexander Volkanovski (C) def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-44).
- Valentina Shevchenko (C) def. Lauren Murphy via 4th-round TKO (punches) (4:00).
- Robbie Lawler def. Nick Diaz via 3rd-round TKO (punch) (:44).
- Curtis Blaydes def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Jéssica Andrade def. Cynthia Calvillo via 1st-round TKO (punches) (4:54).
Preliminary card
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Marlon Moraes via 2nd-round TKO (punches) (4:25).
- Dan Hooker def. Nasrat Haqparast via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
- Chris Daukaus def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via 2nd-round TKO (punches and elbows) (1:23).
- Taila Santos def. Roxanne Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Fight Pass Prelims
- Jalin Turner def. Uros Medić via 1st-round submission (rear naked choke) (4:01).
- Nick Maximov def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Matthew Semelsberger def. Martin Sano Jr. via 1st-round KO (punch) (:15).
- Jonathan Pearce def. Omar Morales via 2nd-round submission (rear naked choke) (3:31).
