Rivalry with respect; Brian Ortega praises Volkanovski's qualities: 'he is the champion for a reason'

B.Ortega will have another chance to win the featherweight belt Photo: Instagram/UFC

Even with the exchange of provocations with Alexander Volkanovsky, Brian ortega showed a lot of respect for his opponent UFC 266. At the 'half day' of next Saturday's show (25), the challenger for the featherweight belt (up to 65,7kg) praised the champion's qualities and told how he rehabilitated himself after the defeat to Max Holloway.

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“His striking is obviously good, as well as his ability to stay disciplined with his skills and movements. When there are small opportunities, he sees them and manages to take advantage. He's the champion for a reason and I give him credit. I talk my sh*t, but in the end, I have respect for him,” said Ortega.

With his second opportunity to fight for the featherweight belt, 'T-City' said that he didn't want to regret it and tried to train more and evolve to get a new opportunity.

“Where I live, the way I train, the people who are by my side…everything is new and improved. The only thing you can do after a loss is see if you can improve. This is the journey. You fight and win or you fight and lose and you get better or worse. If you get worse, you have to keep improving. This is the sport we work in”, concluded the challenger.

Second in the featherweight rankings, Ortega will have his second opportunity to fight for the division's belt. In December 2018, in UFC 238, or 'T-City' was run over by the then champion Max Holloway. The fighter has a record of 15 triumphs and one setback.