Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will return to action inside the octagon really soon. The title challenger Brian Ortega has been waiting for his shot at gold for some time now. In a recent interview, UFC President Dana White confirmed that the fight between the two is now official. Volkanovski vs Ortega will take place on the UFC 266 card.

The title bout was previously scheduled for UFC 260. However, ‘The Great’ had to pull out of the fight. The UFC featherweight champion had tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling from Australia to the US a week prior to the UFC 260.

The fight for the featherweight strap is scheduled for somewhere in September. However, there is no specific location and date set for the card at the moment.

Dana White, in a recent interview with Submission Radio, said, “UFC 266, we don’t know yet. You’re talking about the end of September for that fight.”

“Everything looks like it’s going in the right direction. I don’t know about Canada and Australia, but everything else looks like it’s going in the right direction.”

Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega: What can you expect

Volkanovski and Ortega are currently engaged as opposing coaches at The Ultimate Fighter 29. They will fight each other after the season culminates.

‘The Great’ is an Eugene Bareman protege who relies on his kickboxing more in his fights. His body type is a little unorthodox for FW. He has a long reach and he isn’t that tall. That, coupled with his ability to stick to a game plan, makes him a hard target to hit.

READ MORE: Alexander Volkanovski Details the Impact of Filming ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Against Brian Ortega Before They Fight

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‘Volk’ hasn’t competed since winning a controversial yet close decision against Max Holloway. The second win against ‘Blessed’ wasn’t convincing enough, as many could see the decision going either way. Hence, Volkanovski would need a dominant win against Brian Ortega to leave no questions. Easier said than done.

Ortega, primarily a submission artist, is one of the best BJJ athletes competing in the UFC. He has also made tons of improvements to his standup since the Holloway fight at UFC 230. The improvements that he had made, specifically in his boxing ability, were clear in ‘The Korean Zombie’ fight.

You can expect a technical, chess-like duel in this fight which will be a delight to watch for any fight fan. How excited are you for UFC 266?