"Lights were dimming and I was like, 'Is this it?'" - Alexander Volkanovski on his thoughts while caught in the tight guillotine by Brian Ortega

In his second title defense, Alexander Volkanovski took on Brian Ortega at UFC 266. The bout was a highly exciting affair and ended up being one of the most nerve-wracking fights of 2021.

In the third round, Ortega, known for his submissions, caught 'The Great' in a guillotine choke. The choke appeared tight and it looked like the fight was about to be over. However, Volkanovski persevered and managed to escape the hold, drawing a shocking reaction from MMA fans around the world.

During the UFC Countdown for his upcoming fight at UFC 273, Volkanovski talked about the submission attempt by 'T-City' and how he managed to get out of it.

"You have to be composed in that moment. You're struggling to breathe. You know, it's already a few rounds in a very, very high-paced fight. Lights were dimming and I was like, 'Is this it? Am I not taking this belt home to my family?'... No matter how uncomfortable we are, no matter how bad the position is, we need to figure a way out... I ain't accepting defeat. Put a lot of people in that position, and I don't think many people will come out. I'm just a whole another breed," said Alexander Volkanovski.

Watch the full episode of the UFC 273 Countdown below:

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Alexander Volkanovski is on a 20-fight win streak

Alexander Volkanovski is currently riding a spectacular 20-fight win streak in MMA. The Australian suffered the first and only loss of his career during his fourth MMA outing. Since then, 'The Great' has been racking up wins left and right and currently holds a record of 23-1.

During his undefeated run in the UFC, the 33-year-old has bested fighters like Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway and Brian Ortega.

'The Great' is now set to defend his UFC title for the third time against Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273. The card will also feature another title bout as Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling will fight to unify the UFC bantamweight title.