Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega have both been praised for never giving up 'even in the face of danger' after a brutal contest at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Arnold Schwarzenegger describing it as 'one of the best fights I have ever seen'.
Volkanovski, 33, outworked Ortega, 30, at UFC 266 on September 25.
It was a bloodbath and it was a war with both fighters trading vicious blows right from the start.
Brutal? You bet. Fight of the year? Almost certainly.
Volkanovski won the first two rounds but Ortega responded in the third and by the fourth both men were sporting nasty-looking cuts.
The American grappler also had the Australian fighter trapped in a tight guillotine choke early in the third. Volkanovski managed to briefly escape, only to fall into a triangle attempt from T-City.
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But somehow Volkanovski turned it around and Ortega was left hanging on for dear life after shipping some savage ground-and-pound at the end of that round.
It was an instant classic.
And one man who was been singing their praises recently is 'The Governator', who revealed he may have slightly misjudged Ortega after admitting 'at first I thought Volkanovski was going to walk right through him'.
“What a fantastic night of fights," he wrote in his monthly newsletter.
"We didn’t get to see all of them, but the main event was one of the best fights I have ever seen.
"The champion, Alexander Volkanovski from Australia, versus Brian Ortega from right here in Los Angeles. At first I thought Volkanovski was going to walk right through him.
"I mean the first 2 rounds weren’t exactly that close and Ortega was starting to fade. Then came one of the best rounds of fighting I’ve ever seen."
It is one thing to receive praise from other fighters and those within the sport, but to get such a glowing endorsement from one of the most recognisable faces in the world must be something special.
The Running Man also spoke about those crazy scenes at the start of the third round - as well as praising Volkanovski's 'champion's mindset'.
“These are two of the toughest fighters in the world. They never gave up, even in the face of danger," he added.
"I heard that Volkanovski thought of his family while he was caught in the choke, and used the motivation to give it all he had to get out.
"He didn’t want to lose the belt for his family, or for himself. That is a champion’s mindset.
"I am sure Ortega will be back fighting for the belt in no time, too. He is one tough son of a b----.”
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