Alexander Volkanovski teed off on UFC 266 opponent Brian Ortega at their press conference, calling him a ‘drug cheat’ and unprofessional’.
Towards the end of Friday’s proceedings, Volkanovski took issue with a question that implied he didn’t think Ortega was deserving of a title shot.
“He deserves to be here, I’ll give him that. But he ain’t taking the belt,” Volkanovski interjected before turning his attention to his opponent.
“You don’t deserve it.”
He changed tack dramatically when the two faced off for photos, unleashing his most brutal shot of all.
“You don’t deserve to be here. You’re a f–king drug cheat.”
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1441180024313298948
The California native tested positive for the anabolic steroid drostanolone after his 2014 win over Mike de la Torre, a fact that had eluded Volkanovski until recently.
The presser started innocuously enough, with a reporter asking the champ if he’d have a beer with Ortega after the fight, despite all the trash talk.
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“To be honest, I’d have to be pretty drunk to get along with him, I think,” Volkanovski replied to laughter.
“I’m known to be respectful but there’s things that annoy me, and that’s that.
“Every word that comes out of his mouth annoys me now, so probably not.”
The two were originally set to fight earlier this year before Volkanovski tested positive for COVID-19. A stint as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter in the meantime had heightened tensions between the two.
Now, Volkanovski doesn’t just want to win – he wants to destroy his opponent, saying it was “a bit more personal”.
“I want to get that finish – we say that every time, but I’m doing what I can to get that finish. Right now, winning’s not enough.
He blasted the Americans unprofessionalism before bringing up that failed drug test.
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“What upsets me the most is [that he’s] unprofessional. I put the hard yards in my whole life, especially in this career, that’s how I got this belt. He’s half-asses it, turns up to training late … showing weakness, obviously a few years back, popping for juicing.
“S–t like that, that s–t annoys me. It’s not professional and I ain’t about that s–t.”
Ortega, to his credit, was largely sanguine in response when asked if he thought his professionalism was an issue.
“I don’t know. I see life through a different lens, you know? Some people like to be told what to do, I kind of live on my own time. As long as I get the job done, right? That’s what matters to me.”
The two will settle their differences at about 2pm AEST on Sunday.
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