Brian Ortega
The son of Mexican immigrants, Ortega grew up in the San Pedro projects of Los Angeles. It’s a rough neighborhood where gangs were such a problem that his father put a mobile home outside the house at night to shield them from stray gunfire. With as many as 14 people living in their small family home, Ortega spent most of his time on the streets. He becoming involved in fighting, drugs, and crime at an early age.
That got completely out of control when one of his friends was shot in the back and killed in a drive-by shooting as ‘T-City’ watched on in horror. Remarkably, during this turbulent time, Ortega was leading a double life. He was studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rener Gracie and began fighting in the illegal underground fight scene. One day, local boxing coach James Luhrson approached Ortega. In front of all his crew, he asked him why he was hanging around with troublemakers and offered to train him.
Ortega agreed and eventually turned pro as an MMA fighter, became a star in the UFC, and distanced himself from his troubled past. He did this while making a positive contribution to the next generation of underprivileged kids in the U.S. with his ‘Brian Ortega Foundation’ charity.
