The UFC featherweight title will be defended on March 27, as the promotion has booked champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega for UFC 260, sources told ESPN.
The hope is for the 145-pound title fight to serve as the co-main event for a card headlined by Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2 for the heavyweight title; however, that fight isn't finalized yet, sources say.
Volkanovski (22-1) has won his past 19 fights in a row. He most recently defeated Max Holloway in July to retain the title.
"A fresh challenge in Ortega 2.0," Volkanovski told ESPN. "2021 is my year, what a way to get it rolling."
Ortega (15-1, 1 NC) defeated Chan Sung Jung in October to secure his spot as the No. 1 contender. It was his first win since March 2018 and his first fight since he lost a featherweight title fight to then-champion Holloway in December 2018.
The UFC has yet to officially announce the card or its location yet.
ESPN's Brett Okamoto contributed to this report.
