UFC 266 preview: Dual title fights put a cap on the stacked card

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Alexander Volkanovski fighting Max Holloway at UFC 251It isn’t hard to figure out why the UFC 266 co-main event Valentina Shevchenko title fight against Lauren Murphy is being overshadowed by Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler. Shevchenko tends to win her title defenses with the least amount of drama possible. But it’s a shame the UFC is letting it overshadow Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega’s scrap for the featherweight title. It should be one of the most anticipated fights of the year, but it seems like a majority of fans would rather focus on a fight where one of the combatants hasn’t won a fight in 10 years! By comparison, Volkanovski and Ortega have just one loss each in their careers and appear to be at their peak. I know some will say the UFC put the promotion push of TUF behind the two of them, but TUF stopped being a worthwhile vehicle for the coaches years ago. I’ll admit the personalities of Volkanovski and Ortega aren’t easily marketed in comparison to some others, but isn’t the UFC both an organization and a promotion? Shouldn’t they know how to promote successfully. Enough with that. I digress. Time to dig into the title fights....

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