Alexander Volkanovski likes to start his day with a bit of Aussie humor, with Brian Ortega being the butt of the joke.
The reigning UFC featherweight champion recently uploaded a photo on Instagram in which he and teammate Craig Jones were pictured mock-urinating on a giant poster of Ortega, who is scheduled to take on Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 266.
“Haha BANTER!” Volkanovski posted.
That might qualify as banter down under but ‘T-City’ isn’t likely to find it amusing, with Volkanovski accusing the No. 2-ranked featherweight of being ‘easily triggered’ during their recent stint on The Ultimate Fighter 29, where both men served as rival coaches at the UFC Apex center in Las Vegas.
“I just think he plays a nice guy and some of the sh*t he says, I just think it’s all bullsh*t,” Volkanovski said of Ortega. “I guess you can watch the show and sort of see with little things. … I don’t think he’s that bad of a guy, maybe I’m just looking for things to hate on him for, maybe, yeah, probably. So I’m just sitting here like, ‘Yeah, f*ck Brian Ortega,’ I’m gonna find something to hate him for. Maybe that’s what it was, but like I said, it’s not hard to get under his skin. Even me just saying that I guarantee he’s boiling up.
“Maybe that’s gonna be strategy for my next fight because I know how easily he’s triggered. I’m just gonna be like, ‘Hey, Brian, f*ck you,’ and that’s it.”
UFC 266, which is expected to feature Volkanovski vs. Ortega in the co-main event, is scheduled to take place on Sept. 25 at a TBA venue.
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