Brian Ortega vs. Alexander Volkanovski: How close did 'T-City' come to dethroning the featherweight champion?

Brian Ortega seemingly came close to claiming the featherweight gold at UFC 266. 'T-City' looked like he was mere moments away from victory twice during the third round of the title fight.

During the third frame, the 31-year-old locked in what appeared to be a perfect guillotine choke on Alexander Volkanovski. However, to the American's dismay, 'The Great' slipped out of the submission, gained top control, and started reigning down punches on Ortega.

Moments later, 'T-City' once again showcased his superior grappling prowess and caught the Australian in a triangle choke. The fight yet again slipped out of Ortega's grasp as the champion pulled off another impressive escape from the submission attempt.

Watch Volkanovski escape Ortega's submissions twice below:

In a media interaction in the leadup to his fight with Yair Rodriguez, Ortega explained that he realized he was all out of luck that night once Alexander Volkanovski escaped his second submission attempt:

"I was in there, and I had him in that guillotine, and I was like, 'I’m about to be a world champ!' I was just waiting for the tap, and it never came. He got out, and I was like, 'S**t, this is a tough motherf**ker.' ... The triangle, I was like, 'T-City' by 'T-City', and then he escaped. I’m like, 'F*** me,' right? Then I was like, 'Damn, bro, this is not my f****ng night, or what's going on.'"

Watch the full interview below:

Although Brian Ortega had moments of success in the fight, the bout was ultimately declared a unanimous decision win for Volkanovski. One of the three judges even scored the contest a lopsided 50- 44 in favor of the Australian.

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How many submission wins does Brian Ortega have in his MMA career?

No.3-ranked featherweight contender Brian Ortega holds seven submission wins in his professional mixed martial arts career. 'T-City' also holds three submissions in the UFC. His first-ever submission win came during his MMA debut at Gladiator Challenge - Maximum Force in 2010.

Ortega's most recent submission came against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 123. The 31-year-old finished Swanson via guillotine choke in the second round.

Watch Ortega submit Swanson below:

The California native has also registered three knockouts in his career. His latest KO win came against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. The Black House MMA pupil holds a mixed martial arts record of 15 wins against three losses, with one no contest.

Watch Ortega's best finishes below: