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Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his featherweight title with a split-decision win over former champion Max Holloway in the UFC 251 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last weekend in Abu Dhabi, opening up new opportunities for the rest of the 145-pound division.
Like longtime featherweight contender Chan Sung Jung.
“To be honest, it is shameful that Volkanovski is a champion of my weight class,” Jung wrote on his official Instagram page. “Give him to me, then you don’t need to worry about the judges’ decision.”
Volkanovski remains unimpressed.
“He’s probably just trying to hype the fight up but I think he needs to fight Brian Ortega,” Volkanovski told ESPN. “I think that’s what they plan on doing. And again, I want the number one contenders. You go out there and you take out Brian Ortega, I’m sure everyone’s gonna be screaming your name and I’m gonna be there waiting. 100 percent.”
Ortega echoed those sentiments.
“How you gonna say, ‘I can’t fight because I can’t leave my country’ then say you ready to fight all the sudden?” Ortega wrote on social media. “I just talked to some of my people they said you can fly to United States and fly to Fight Island (by the way they live in Korea too). So straight up, you down to fight? Dana White said winner of us gets the tittle shot. If you ain’t down I ain’t trippin’ … Dana White give me another guy you want to see me fight to earn the title. I don’t want free rides, I earn my shit.”
Jung (16-5) was expected to collide with Ortega (14-1, 1 NC) in the UFC Busan main event last December; however, “T-City” was forced to withdraw due to injury and “Korean Zombie” instead faced Frankie Edgar, winning by first-round knockout.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s got one of his boys writing some stuff for him again,” Volkanovski continued. “Straight after my last fight, he started — or one of his teammates or manager — starting getting lippy, and started carrying on and then one of them got slapped for it and then they went quiet. Brian Ortega gave them a good slapping and they stopped talking for awhile. Maybe they need another good slapping to keep them quiet.”
Followed by another good police report?
No official word yet on if or when UFC plans to rebook Jung-Ortega, one of several marquee match ups fans are patiently waiting for.