Brian Ortega Says He Wants Rematch With Max Holloway After UFC 266

Brian Ortega said he's aiming for a rematch with Max Holloway if he beats Alexander Volkanovski to win the UFC Featherweight Championship in the main event of UFC 266 next Saturday.

Ortega, who suffered a TKO loss to Holloway in December 2018, told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday he's made significant strides since that defeat.

"I'm not trying to speak ahead, nor am I trying to get past Volkanovski, right, cause he beat Max twice," Ortega said. "I'm not here to say I'm already celebrating. But, that would be ideal. I'm a better person, better fighter than I was when I fought him. And, watching his last fight, so is he."

The 30-year-old Los Angeles native has only entered the Octagon once since the loss to Holloway.

He suffered a knee injury that postponed his bout against Chan Sung Jung from December 2019 to October 2020. He won that fight by unanimous decision.

Ortega was then slated to face off with Volkanovski in March for the featherweight title, but it was delayed until next weekend because of COVID-19 issues.

While he's focused on the marquee UFC 266 clash, he told TMZ exacting some measure of revenge on Holloway is important since it represents his only career loss (15-1 with one no contest).

"I'm competitive. I want to make s--t even. It does bother me," Ortega said. "Even if he f--ks me up again, or whatever. I'll fight you 100 times. I'm gonna get one."

He'll have his hands full with Volkanovski (22-1 record) before he can shift focus to a potential rematch with Holloway, though.

The 32-year-old Australian is coming off a highly impressive three-fight stretch that saw him score a victory over the legendary Jose Aldo before earning back-to-back wins over Holloway to capture and then defend the featherweight belt. 

"I believe my confidence right now is just on such a high," Volkanovski told MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun in August. "I've always been confident in the job I need to do, but right now my confidence is on a whole other level to where winning is just not enough."

The high-profile fight gives Ortega a chance to showcase the progress he believes he's made since the loss to Holloway, and a win would lead to his first stint as a UFC champion.