Alexander Volkanovski’s next title defense could take place in early 2021.
In an interview with BT Sport, UFC President Dana White was asked to provide an update on a number of prospective matchups and he confirmed that a featherweight championship bout between Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is being discussed for a February show.
“Probably,” White said of a potential Volkanovski-Ortega bout in February. “That’s a fun fight too. I love that fight.”
White did not indicate what card the featherweight title fight could occur on, though there are expected to be UFC events every weekend in February. The UFC 258 pay-per-view is currently set to take place on Feb. 13.
Volkanovski (22-1) seeks the second defense of his featherweight title after successfully defending it in a rematch against Max Holloway at UFC 251 this past July. He defeated Holloway by unanimous decision in December of last year to claim the belt, then won a split decision in their rematch.
In October, Ortega returned from a 22-month hiatus to headline a Fight Night event against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. “T-City” rebounded from the first loss of his career with a unanimous decision win over Jung, placing him in pole position for another shot at featherweight gold. Ortega lost by fourth-round TKO (doctor stoppage) to Holloway in his first attempt to become champion at UFC 231.
Watch White’s full interview with BT sport here: