Brian Ortega: Alexander Volkanovski Not Quite 'The Same' vs. Ilia Topuria at UFC 298

Brian Ortega thinks something may have been off for the champ the night he lost his title. 

All things must come to an end and after four years, Alexander Volkanovski is no longer the UFC Featherweight Champion of the world. That title now belongs to Spain's Ilia Topuria who knocked out Volkanovski at UFC 298.

The circumstances around Volkanovski's sixth title defense could have been better as 'The Great' was stopped by a head kick from lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev just four months prior. Who knows if the result vs. Topuria would have come out the same, should Volkanovski never had taken that fight at UFC 294.

Nevertheless, two-time title challenger 'T-City' would pay his respects to the new champ Topuria. But, he can't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Volkanovski.

"Props to Ilia, right? He won," Ortega told reporters at the UFC Mexico City media day. "That was an impressive, very like devastating KO he got. I'm trying to look at it just from both perspectives. Topuria's game-plan was really good. Staying calm, moving back, throwing power punches. 

"Then Volk, I don't know if it was, to me, it didn't seem like it was like the same Volk, right? Then seeing him and being in front of him, I'm like, man, you're moving different. But obviously he adjusts for every opponent that he has. So, who knows? But, I am curious to see what's gonna happen now in the featherweight division."

The featherweight action continues this weekend as Ortega meets Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event of UFC Mexico City. It's #3 vs. #4 and title implications are all over this matchup. 

If Volkanovski is forced to sit on the sidelines, perhaps the winner of Rodriguez vs. Ortega will be catapulted to a UFC Spain headliner against Ilia Topuria later this year. 

But, Brian Ortega won't focus too much on that right now. He has a job to do south of the border, which is to beat Yair Rodriguez in a rematch of their 2022 encounter that ended in injury for the California-native.

"It's not my job to play matchmaker and decide who fights who," Ortega said in Spanish. "But, there are going to be some changes, new fights and I think it's gonna be very interesting for the fans of the sport see new blood at the top of the division."

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