Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega targeted for February, says Dana White

The upcoming match between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is being targeted for February, says Dana White.

Volkanovski is coming off of a controversial split decision win over Max Holloway back at UFC 251 in July on Fight Island, which was his 19th straight win overall. The UFC thought about booking a trilogy fight with Holloway after two close decisions, but after Ortega shut out The Korean Zombie on the scorecards in October, “T-City” stole the title shot back. White previously confirmed that Ortega was the new No. 1 contender for the belt but until now we didn’t have a date for the bout. We now have a better idea of when it will happen.

Speaking to BT’s Caroline Pearce, the UFC president White confirmed that the world’s leading MMA promotion is targeting the Volkanovski vs. Ortega fight for February.

“Probably (February),” White. “That’s a fun fight, too. I love that fight.”

Looking ahead at the UFC’s calendar in 2021 and one particular date in February makes all the sense in the world for Volkanovski vs. Ortega to happen. That would be UFC 258, which is set to take place on February 13 at a location TBD. There is no official main event for that card as of yet, but rumors have pointed to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns as the PPV headliner for that card. That would leave Volkanovski vs. Ortega as the co-main event, which seems to be a good 1-2 punch for the UFC 258 PPV.

It’s good to see the UFC is so eager to get the featherweight division rolling again. Volkanovski only fought once in 2020 so hopefully, the champ is able to stay more active in 2021 as the world returns to normal post-COVID and travel becomes easier for everyone.

How excited are you to see Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega?