5 best UFC performances of Alexander Volkanovski

#2. Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar 2 at UFC 200

Jose Aldo is one the best featherweight fighters of all time. He was the first featherweight champion in the UFC and the pride of Brazil. Aldo's career is deserving of any and all superlatives one could muster.

When facing Volkanovski, the implication of this bout was that the winner would get a crack at the then-champion, Max Holloway. Seeing as Aldo had already lost to him twice, he needed to put an emphasis on this performance. Beating Aldo is very difficult, but Volkanovski may have entered this fight as hungry as ever.

Regardless, 'The Great' was able to shut down the Brazilian's attempt towards the title. Speedy kicks and a great pace neutralized the former champion and rendered him without any answers to the puzzle that is Volkanovski.

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#1. Brian Ortega

UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega

In what was one of the best fights in UFC history, Volkanvoski made the whole world acknowledge his determination to keep the title attached to his name. The build-up to this fight was huge. The two were scheduled to fight in early 2021 but circumstances forced the bout to be rescheduled.

Ortega and Volkanovski would meet, but not before coaching opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter. This drove more of a wedge between the two combatants and it rolled over into media coverage prior to the fight. With the animosity out in the open, fans were more invested in this bout than when it was originally scheduled.

Intense walk-outs precursed what was an all-out war. The Australian looked better than ever as his volume began to batter his adversary. This wouldn't be an easy win for the Australian, as Ortega proved to be problematic for him, especially in the third round.

This round would go down as one of the best rounds the MMA world has ever seen. A deep guillotine choke was locked in and 'The Great' looked all but comfortable. Ortega has a reputation of using his jui-jitsu to win fights that he was losing prior, so fans were on their feet awaiting the tap from the champion. This never happened, as Volkanovski was able to escape. He continued to escape Ortega's submission attempts and landed at will until the end of the fifth round.