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UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega featured a number of epic-sounding fights on paper. In execution, it turned out to be one of the better events of 2021.
UFC 266 was filled with action largely from top to bottom. There were some tremendous fights on offer and some fighters picked up huge wins.
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With some fighters moving into title contention and others picking up the biggest victories of their UFC careers, there was plenty to celebrate at the event.
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Here are the five biggest winners from UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega.
#5. Valentina Shevchenko – defeated Lauren Murphy to retain the UFC flyweight title
Reigning UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko once again proved her dominance last night. She stopped Lauren Murphy in the fourth round to retain her title.
The win was basically a by-the-book performance from ‘Bullet’. She comfortably beat Murphy in every area, never let her get comfortable or land any meaningful offense, and then finished her with some violent ground-and-pound.
That was ironic given Murphy's penchant for ground-based offense, but the truth is that Shevchenko made her look like an amateur at times.
Given that she remains the flyweight queen, why isn’t Shevchenko ranked more highly in this list? Simply put, ‘Bullet’ is, at this stage, edging closer to the point where she’s almost too dominant.
Who can really challenge her at flyweight? She’s beaten most of the top-ranked contenders in the division, and another – Cynthia Calvillo – fell to a one-sided defeat last night against Jessica Andrade.
Realistically, the only fight that might make sense for Shevchenko would be a third clash with UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. However, it seems unlikely that the UFC would book that fight, given their second meeting was disappointing.
So while Shevchenko has to be seen as a winner, how she can get the fans interested in her next defense remains to be seen.
#4. Merab Dvalishvili – defeated Marlon Moraes in a UFC bantamweight bout
Merab Dvalishvili came into last night’s fight with Marlon Moraes off the back of a six-fight winning streak in the UFC. It’s safe to say that this was his biggest bout to date.
Not only was Moraes a former UFC bantamweight title challenger, but ‘Magic’ also had his back to the wall following back-to-back losses. He was clearly desperate to make a statement.
Early on, it looked like he’d make that statement in style. He hammered Dvalishvili with some heavy shots standing, knocking the Georgian all over the octagon and having him on the verge of being TKO’d.
‘The Machine’ survived and, in an incredible turnaround, was able to secure takedowns on the Brazilian. He then beat the hell out of him en route to a second-round TKO victory.
Not only was this a tremendous comeback from Dvalishvili, it was also his biggest win in the UFC to date by far.
Who will be next for him? Given that Moraes came into the fight ranked at no.6, it only makes sense for him to fight a higher ranked opponent. With that in mind, perhaps a fight with Jose Aldo might work.
Either way, he was definitely one of UFC 266’s biggest winners.
#3. Curtis Blaydes – defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a UFC heavyweight bout
It’s safe to say that, even before some of the wilder action at UFC 266, Curtis Blaydes was probably never in line for a $50k bonus after his win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
The fight saw Blaydes outwork ‘Bigi Boy’ largely by using his takedowns. He never came close to finishing the native of Suriname even though he clearly deserved the nod. So why does he warrant a spot here?
The answer is that because, frankly, given his spats with UFC management and that he was knocked out in his previous fight, ‘Razor’ probably had his back to the wall here.
Had Rozenstruik beaten him, there’d have been every chance that the UFC might’ve cut him from his contract. As it is, though, Blaydes won’t move up the ladder in the UFC heavyweight division – he’s already ranked at no.4 after all – but he should remain in title contention.
With a big win over another opponent, he could realise his dream of challenging for the UFC heavyweight title at some point in the future. Last night’s win was just the starting point for that. To that end, Blaydes has to be considered one of UFC 266’s biggest winners.
#2. Robbie Lawler – defeated Nick Diaz in a UFC middleweight bout
If any fighter looked like they were reaching the end of their UFC career prior to last night’s event, it was probably Robbie Lawler. The former UFC welterweight champion had not won a fight in the octagon since 2017, and had looked like a shadow of his former self in his most recent outings.
However, faced with the returning Nick Diaz in a high-pressure situation – and in a middleweight bout to boot – Lawler pulled out a great performance to pick up what could be a career-saving win.
Unlike his fights with Colby Covington and Neil Magny, ‘Ruthless’ looked anything but gun-shy in this fight, taking it to Diaz early on with his strikes. Despite Diaz’s attempts to fire back, he was always second-best, as Lawler showed exactly what he’d learned since their meeting in 2004 that saw him knocked out.
He was patient, picked his shots, and basically took Diaz apart en route to a third-round TKO win.
Will this be the beginning of a renaissance for Lawler? It’s unlikely. Diaz looked incredibly rusty and he was still able to land his fair share of shots. However, based on this evidence, ‘Ruthless’ isn’t done quite yet.
In fact, if he’s willing to take a step down the ladder, he could have more UFC victories in him – making him one of UFC 266’s biggest winners.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski – defeated Brian Ortega to retain the UFC featherweight title
The biggest winner at UFC 266 by a mile was Alexander Volkanovski. Not only did he retain his UFC featherweight title in his first headline bout to date, but he put on a classic show that will probably be talked about for years to come.
‘The Great’ outworked Brian Ortega on the feet from the start of the first round to the very end of the fifth round last night. He wasn’t quite able to finish him off, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying as, incredibly, he was able to land a total of 214 significant strikes on ‘T-City’.
This wasn’t just about Volkanovski’s striking, though. The Australian also showed a ludicrous amount of heart, as he found himself trapped in Ortega’s best submissions in the third round – the guillotine choke and the triangle choke – and somehow escaped when most other fighters would’ve tapped out.
Overall, this was the kind of fight that should make a star out of Volkanovski. He’s got everything it takes to rule over this division for years to come. This win ought to net him the respect he deserved but wasn’t really getting beforehand.
On a big night for many fighters, none came away with more plus points than the UFC featherweight champion.
