Volkanovski-Ortega, Shevchenko-Murphy Top UFC 266

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently added a pair of title fights to its upcoming UFC 266 pay-per-view (PPV) card, scheduled for Sat., Sept. 25, 2021 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the five round main event, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his 145-pound strap against longtime title contender and fellow Ultimate Fighter (TUF) coach Brian Ortega.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the matchups with ESPN.

“The Great” (22-1) has not seen action since his Max Holloway rematch in June 2020. As for “T-City” (15-1, 1 NC), he got back into the win column with a commanding performance against Chan Sung Jung last October.

Shortly before that headliner gets underway, Valentina Shevchenko puts her flyweight belt on the line against streaking division veteran Lauren Murphy. “Bullet” (21-3) is the winner of seven straight with four nasty finishes, while “Lucky” (15-4) recently captured five in a row.

UFC 266 will also feature the five-round rematch between welterweight elder statesmen Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz. Elsewhere on the card, Curtis Blaydes and Jairzinho Rozenstruik collide for a spot in the 265-pound title chase.

Expect more UFC 266 fight card announcements in the coming weeks.