UFC 266 gets Volkanovski vs. Ortega, Shevchenko vs. Murphy title fight doubleheader

Featherweight and women’s flyweight gold will be on the line at UFC 266.

A pair of title fights are set for the Sept. 25 fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega set to meet for 145-pound gold in the main event, while dominant 125-pound queen Valentina Shevchenko defends against Lauren Murphy in the co-headliner.

UFC president Dana White announced both title matchups to broadcast partner ESPN on Tuesday. MMA Junkie subsequently verified with people close to the situation, who wished to remain anonymous.

Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Ortega (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) were first booked to fight in March, but the champion contracted COVID-19 and was unable to compete. The pair filmed “The Ultimate Fighter 29” during the delay, but are now healthy and have a new date, with Volkanovski looking to make his second title defense, while Ortega tries to make good with his second crack at gold.

Shevchenko (21-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC), meanwhile, will look for her sixth defense of her belt. She’s run through all comers so far, but Murphy (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and her five-fight winning streak will attempt to upset arguably the most dominant champion in the sport at present.

With the addition of the title fights, the UFC 266 lineup now includes:

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for featherweight title
• Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for women’s flyweight title
• Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
• Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
• Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
• Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes
• Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
• Roxanne Modafferi vs. Tatiana Suarez
• Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva