UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski retains featherweight title in octagon classic

Alexander Volkanovski beat Brian Ortega with a unanimous points decision 49-46 50-45 50-44

Alexander Volkanovski retained his UFC featherweight title at UFC 266 after a thrilling five-round battle with rival Brian Ortega in Las Vegas.

But American Ortega, 30, turned the tables midway through round three when he dropped the champion with a big left hand then looked to chase for a submission.

Remarkably, Volkanovski managed to escape first a mounted guillotine choke then Ortega's best submission, a triangle choke, before hammering the challenger with ground strikes to finish the round.

After Ortega received a lengthy inspection from the doctor between rounds the fight was allowed to continue into the fourth round.

Ortega managed to take the action to the canvas once again early in the round but, despite locking up another choke, Volkanovski gave a thumbs-up to referee Herb Dean before escaping and resuming his striking onslaught on the ground.

The fight surprisingly made it all the way to the judges' scorecards after the pair traded back and forth on the feet in a thrilling final frame.

But when the scores were totalled, it was the champion who came out the clear winner with scores of 49-46 50-45 50-44 as Volkanovski retained his title via unanimous decision.

"I'm a normal human being. I've said it time and time again. Just hard work got me to where I am," said Volkanovski, who extended his winning streak to 20 fights, with his last 10 victories coming in the UFC.

"All them doubters, I'm going to keep proving you wrong time and time again. Bring it!"

More to follow.