The UFC featherweight championship is set to be defended by Alexander Volkanovski in March, according to a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
ESPN is reporting that the 145-pound championship fight is set with Volkanovski to defend the title against Brian Ortega at UFC 260 on Saturday, March 27th. Helwani added that the promotion is hopeful of adding a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou on the same night, although warned that the heavyweight title fight is not finalized.
Volkanovski, 32, is undefeated during his UFC tenure dating back to November 2016 and has won his last nineteen fights. He defeated Max Holloway by unanimous decision at UFC 245 in December 2019 to become the new champion. He defended the title in a rematch against Holloway last July at UFC 251, winning by split decision.
Ortega challenged Holloway for the featherweight title in December 2018 at UFC 231 where a doctor’s stoppage halted the fight after four rounds and was the first loss of Ortega’s career. Ortega took nearly two years off and returned last October looking like a significantly upgraded fighter as he defeated Chan Sung Jung by unanimous decision.
