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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/strong> Aussie UFC star's promise to 'spoiled brat'<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Volkanovski firm favourite going into UFC 266<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n "To be honest, I'd have to be pretty drunk to get along with him, I think," Volkanovski replied to laughter.<\/p>\n "I'm known to be respectful but there's things that annoy me, and that's that.<\/p>\n "Every word that comes out of his mouth annoys me now, so probably not."<\/p>\n 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<\/em> in the meantime had heightened tensions between the two.<\/p>\n Now, Volkanovski doesn't just want to win – he wants to destroy his opponent, saying it was "a bit more personal".<\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n He blasted the Americans unprofessionalism before bringing up that failed drug test.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Why Slater flatly ignored Origin icons' advice<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Verstappen, Hamilton clash again as title fight gets nasty<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n "S–t like that, that s–t annoys me. It's not professional and I ain't about that s–t."<\/p>\n Ortega, to his credit, was largely sanguine in response when asked if he thought his professionalism was an issue.<\/p>\n "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."<\/p>\n The two will settle their differences at about 2pm AEST on Sunday.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Volkanovski](\"https:\/\/vms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/2021\/09\/382580\/raw-capture-sequence.00_29_40_24.still143.jpg\")
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