A busy week reaches its end in Las Vegas with a pair of champions successfully defending their titles
2 min read
Another massive UFC PPV event is in the books. The latest offering of UFC 266 delivered in kind with champions holding on to their belts and some veterans getting back in the win column in Las Vegas.
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski managed to retain his title with a tremendous performance against Brian Ortega in the main event. Volkanovski controlled the fight from the on-set, but a wild third round saw him nearly submitted by Ortega twice when it seemed as though the fight was out of reach for “T-City”. Volkanovski has now won 20 straight fights, including his first 10 inside the Octagon. That puts him in some elite company with Anderson Silva, Kamaru Usman, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Royce Gracie as the only fighters to accomplish a 10-0 start.
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Plus, Valentina Shevchenko continued her reign of brilliance over the 125-pound division with a fourth-round TKO of Lauren Murphy. Shevchenko remains undefeated in her new weight class with an eight-fight winning streak and seemingly no end in sight as she’s essentially cleaned out the flyweight division.
And while it may not have gone to plan, Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler put on a show for the fans in attendance over the course of two-plus rounds. Lawler scored the third-round TKO of Diaz, who was making his return to the Octagon after nearly six years away, when the California native refused to get up after being dropped by a left hook from the former welterweight champion. The win ended a four-fight losing streak for Lawler.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the week in Las Vegas with the latest news and updates surrounding this fight card. Thanks for following along all week and we’ll see you at UFC 267.
UFC 266 fight card, results
- Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-44)
- Valentina Shevchenko (c) def. Lauren Murphy via fourth-round TKO (punches)
- Robbie Lawler def. Nick Diaz via third-round TKO (punches)
- Curtis Blaydes def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jessica Andrade -240 def. Cynthia Calvillo via first-round TKO (punches)
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Marlon Moraes via second-round TKO (punches)
- Dan Hooker def. Nasrat Haqparast via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Chris Daukaus def. Shamil Abdurakimov via second-round TKO (punches)
- Talia Santos def. Roxanne Modafferii via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jalin Turner def. Uros Medic via first-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Nick Maximov def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Matthew Semelsberger def. Martin Sano via first-round knockout (punch)
- Jonathan Pearce def. Omar Morales via second-round submission (rear naked choke)
UFC 266 countdown
- Campbell: Five biggest takeaways from UFC 266 in Las Vega
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Brookhouse: Three best bets to consider on Saturday night in Las Vegas
- Campbell: Ortega ready to not waste second opportunity at featherweight title
- Resume Review: ‘Morning Kombat’ looks back at Nick Diaz’s career
- Brookhouse: An in-depth look at every bout on the main card in Las Vegas
- Campbell: Five biggest storylines to watch during International Fight Week
