UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- May 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 15
Introduction
UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega took place on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was the second UFC pay-per-view of 2021 to feature a championship fight that almost slipped away from the champion in real time, the night Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz finally finished their decade-old rivalry, and one of the most quietly excellent main cards of the year. The card produced an estimated 750,000 pay-per-view buys.
Alexander Volkanovski's third successful featherweight title defense was a five-round masterclass that included two of the most dangerous moments of his championship career. In round three, Brian Ortega locked in a guillotine from his back that nearly forced a tap, then transitioned to a triangle that had Volkanovski's chin pressed against his own shoulder for over thirty seconds. The Australian survived both, won the remaining rounds, and took the unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-44).
The co-main saw Valentina Shevchenko make her fifth successful women's flyweight title defense with a fourth-round TKO of Lauren Murphy. The undercard featured the long-awaited Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler rematch — 17 years after their first meeting at UFC 47 in April 2004 — with Lawler winning by TKO after Diaz turned his back in round three.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021
📍 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 17,732 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $5.1 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~750,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Brian Ortega — UFC Featherweight Championship (145 lbs)
✅ Result: Volkanovski def. Ortega via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-44)
🥇 Co-Main: Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Lauren Murphy via TKO (punches) — R4, 3:20 — Women's Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
Alexander Volkanovski entered UFC 266 as the most quietly dominant champion in the UFC — 22-1 overall, 9-0 in the UFC, and on the back of two successful title defenses against Max Holloway. Brian Ortega was the most dangerous submission threat in the featherweight division — 15-1 with seven UFC submission wins, with a T-City submission system widely studied as the most dangerous in the division. Betting opened Volkanovski at -250.
The co-main saw Valentina Shevchenko in her fifth women's flyweight title defense against Lauren Murphy. The undercard featured the long-awaited Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler rematch — 17 years after their first meeting at UFC 47.
Main Event: Volkanovski vs. Ortega
Round one was Volkanovski's. He used his footwork and leg kicks to control distance, scored a takedown at the 3:00 mark, and finished the round on top. Round two was similar. Round three was where the fight changed — Ortega locked in a tight guillotine from his back that nearly finished the champion, then transitioned to a triangle. Volkanovski survived both, recovered between rounds three and four, and dominated the championship rounds with takedowns and ground-and-pound. Final scorecards: 50-45, 49-46, 50-44.
Co-Main Event: Shevchenko vs. Murphy
Valentina Shevchenko controlled distance, picked at the body with clinch knees, and avoided the wild exchanges Lauren Murphy wanted. Round four ended it at 3:20 — a clean knee from the clinch followed by combinations. Murphy collapsed; the referee waved it off. It was Shevchenko's fifth successful women's flyweight title defense.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Brian Ortega — Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-44) — Featherweight Title
Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Lauren Murphy — TKO (punches) — R4, 3:20 — Women's Flyweight Title
Robbie Lawler def. Nick Diaz — TKO (punches) — R3, 0:44 — Welterweight (5 rounds, non-title)
Curtis Blaydes def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Heavyweight
Jared Cannonier def. Kelvin Gastelum — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) — Middleweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Dan Hooker def. Nasrat Haqparast — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) — Lightweight
Jessica-Rose Clark def. Joselyne Edwards — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) — Women's Bantamweight
Merab Dvalishvili def. Marlon Moraes — TKO (punches) — R1, 1:19 — Bantamweight
Taila Santos def. Roxanne Modafferi — Unanimous Decision — Women's Flyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Curtis Blaydes — $50,000 for the dominant decision over Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Jared Cannonier — $50,000 for the unanimous decision over Kelvin Gastelum.
🥊 Fight of the Night: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
• Volkanovski's third successful UFC Featherweight Championship defense and 10th consecutive UFC win.
• Shevchenko's fifth successful women's flyweight title defense.
• Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz — first rematch in UFC history between two fighters whose original bout had occurred 17 years apart.
• Ortega's two near-finishes in round three became one of the most-replayed sequences of 2021.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 266 is remembered as one of the most underrated championship cards of 2021. The Volkanovski-Ortega main event produced Fight of the Night; Shevchenko's fifth title defense confirmed her division dominance; and the Diaz-Lawler rematch closed a 17-year rivalry. The Volkanovski-Ortega sequence in round three became one of the most-studied jiu-jitsu defenses in modern UFC.
For Alexander Volkanovski, the win confirmed his case as the most under-the-radar dominant champion of his era. He went on to defend the title four more times before losing it to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024.
For Brian Ortega, the loss effectively closed his championship window. He went 1-2 in subsequent UFC bouts and stepped away from competition in 2023 due to shoulder injuries.
For Valentina Shevchenko, UFC 266 was the fifth of eight women's flyweight title defenses she would make before losing the belt to Alexa Grasso at Noche UFC in September 2023.
FAQ
How close was Ortega to submitting Volkanovski?
Very close. Ortega locked in a tight guillotine from his back at around 1:30 of round three; Volkanovski's chin was pressed into his own shoulder for nearly 30 seconds. He then found himself in a triangle with equally tight pressure. He survived only by stacking Ortega's legs and forcing the angle to break. Either submission could have ended the fight.
Did Diaz really quit on the stool?
Not exactly. Diaz turned his back to Lawler at 0:44 of round three and walked away from the action; Lawler hit him with one clean shot to the head and the referee stopped it. The technical ruling was TKO. Diaz had not fought since 2015 before UFC 266 and has not fought since.
How long had Diaz been away from MMA?
Six years. His last fight before UFC 266 was a January 2015 no-contest against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 — overturned after Silva failed a drug test. The rematch against Lawler was the first time he had stepped into the UFC Octagon since.
Has Volkanovski ever been finished?
Yes, twice in the UFC. He was KO'd by Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024 and KO'd by Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October 2023 (lightweight title fight). The Ortega near-submissions at UFC 266 were the closest he had come to being finished in his UFC career up to that point.
Was the 5-round non-title format used again?
Yes. The Diaz-Lawler bout was the second UFC five-round non-title fight after Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 263 in June 2021.
How does UFC 266 compare to UFC 265?
UFC 266 drew approximately 750,000 PPV buys versus UFC 265 (500,000) seven weeks earlier. The jump reflected the depth of the card and the Volkanovski-Ortega main event hype. UFC 266's gate of $5.1 million was the highest non-McGregor 2021 UFC PPV gate to that point.
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