Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is surprised at how wide the odds are for Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes' upcoming Sphere showdown.
Below two championship headliners that will see Sean O'Malley and Alexa Grasso put their titles on the line, there's little doubt over which undercard bout carries with it the most intrigue and highest stakes at Noche UFC (UFC 306) this weekend.
After a difficult weight cut and subsequent illness led to Ortega's withdrawal on the day of UFC 303 this past June, "T-City" and Lopes will give their matchup a second attempt at reaching the Octagon on Sept. 14.
While Ortega sits further up the featherweight rankings, Lopes is highly touted and riding a wave of form that has established him as a fan favorite. With that in mind, plenty are expecting him to ascend into the top five at the veteran two-time title challenger's expense.
But when it comes to predictions of "T-City's" downfall, Volkanovski has told doubters to hold their horses...
Volkanovski Picks Ortega To Upset Lopes At UFC 306
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Volkanovski broke down and predicted the three major matchups set to play out at the UFC's second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
The Australian will have a vested interest in Ortega vs. Lopes, which marks a key battle in his division and sees one of his former opponents in action.
And while the man he delivered a beating to at UFC 266 back in 2021 will enter the cage as a sizable underdog this Saturday night, "Alexander the Great" thinks Ortega has the skillset to grind out a decision triumph and halt Lopes' charge up the featherweight ladder.
I mean, Lopes is great. A very, very good jiu-jitsu guy," Volkanovski said. "I'm surprised that Ortega's such an underdog. I'm gonna call my pick straight away and say Ortega. Being such an underdog...pretty good odds on Ortega for this fight. Again, Lopes is very good, but I'm surprised, stylistically, how much of an underdog Ortega is.
Great jiu-jitsu, both of them. We all know Ortega's known for his jiu-jitsu, incredible jiu-jitsu. Lopes is a really good jiu-jitsu artist," Volkanovski continued. "We did see with Movsar (Evloev), he was still able to control him (Lopes) a bit. ... I just feel Ortega's gonna be okay on the ground. I don't think Lopes is gonna have something that (Ortega) hasn't seen before. ... I'm quite surprised that he's the underdog. ... Lopes is gonna find it hard to put his lights out. Ortega's chin is like a Max Holloway chin. ... I'm leaning towards Ortega. ... I'm gonna go with a decision win.
Ortega will look to prove Volkanovski's assessment of the matchup correct come fight night at the Sphere.
And should he accomplish that feat, "T-City" will likely join his former opponent in pursuit of challenging the winner of Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway's title clash in Abu Dhabi next month.
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