Height/Weight/Division:
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) / 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) / Featherweight
Networth:
$1.25 million
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianTcity
IG: https://www.instagram.com/briantcity/
MMA Background
Brian Ortega is one of the best BJJ specialists in the featherweight division; there is danger once he gets a hold of you. Hence the nickname T-city because his signature submission is the Triangle choke. Ortega is currently #2 ranked featherweight with losses only in title fights.
He started training Muay Thai at just five years old, and At 13 years old, Ortega began to train BJJ under Rorion Gracie. It led to him being one of the best grapplers in the game; he could submit his opponents even at awkward angles. He then added boxing to his game which made him an even more well-rounded fighter.
In 2010, Ortega made his MMA debut at Gladiator Challenge, winning two fights before moving to Respect In the Cage promotion. Ortega eventually won the RTC Featherweight Champion and then went on to win more until he got a record of 8-0.
UFC Debut
Ortega made his UFC debut against Mike De La Torre, where he won the fight via rear-naked choke but later overturned to a no-contest due to testing positive for Drostanolone. He was also fined after the fight.
Undefeated FW Run
It did not stop Ortega from becoming a champion; his next fight was against Thiago Tavares, a UFC veteran. It was a close fight, with back and forth, but eventually, Ortega landed a flurry that knocked Tavares down.
For his next fight, he faced another UFC veteran, Clay Guida, and Ortega was arguably losing the battle until in the third round, with just a minute left, he clipped Guida with a knee that led to a knockout win. Ortega has a way of winning the fight even when he is down on the scorecards.
A fellow undefeated rising contender, Renato Moicano, was booked for his next fight. It was a big test for both contenders, and the winner will climb the rankings and stay undefeated. It was an even fight, and at the last round, Moicano tried to change levels but got caught with a guillotine choke that stopped the fight.
UFC then gave Ortega his first main event, and it was against top contender Cub Swanson. He had troubles with Swanson’s striking but almost secured a submission attempt in the first round. But in the second round, Ortega locked a flying guillotine that forced Swanson to tap.
Due to Holloway’s health condition, he was forced to pull out of his title fight; Ortega stepped in on short notice to face Frankie Edgar for the title contender spot. Going to the fight, Edgar has never been stopped in his MMA career.
The fight was pretty much a feeling process in the early parts, but in the last minute of the first round, Ortega landed a well-timed elbow that stunned Edgar. He then went for the finish landing vicious combos and an uppercut that knocked Edgar completely.
Holloway vs. Ortega
Ortega was finally set for his title shot against Max Holloway. He was going in as an undefeated challenger and was the favorite to win the fight.
Although the fight became a one-sided beatdown as Ortega had no answer to Holloway’s volume strikes. He had his moments where he landed some strikes and tried to get the fight on the ground, but Holloway was just too good. Holloway did not stop landing punches, but Ortega also showed tremendous heart.
At the end of the fourth round, the doctor decided to stop the fight due to the damage he accumulated. He could barely see and was losing on all scorecards.
Comeback
It was not until more than a year that Ortega stepped inside the Octagon again, where he was scheduled to face Chan Sung Jung. He was going in as the underdog since he had a long layoff, and no one knew what version of Ortega would show up.
The fight later revealed that the long recovery was very much worth it as Ortega evolved his striking. Many thought Ortega’s path to victory was likely via submission, but that was not the case; he had great footwork and outstruck the Korean Zombie. He was even landing a spinning elbow that knocked Sun Jung down.
Ortega vs Volkanvoski
With that fantastic performance, Ortega was given a title shot right away. Unfortunately, Volkanovski tested positive for COVID, and the bout was canceled. The UFC then decided to book the Ultimate fighter instead, with Volkanovski and Ortega as coaches.
They were then scheduled to headline UFC 266 as the main event. Unfortunately, Ortega fell short once more in his second title shot as Volkanovski dominated most of the fight. Although Ortega almost submitted Volkanovski in the fourth round with a tight guillotine, it is still unbelievable how he escaped it.
Ortega has been so close to winning the title, but he fell short. It was just not his night, but his stocks did not go down. He performed relatively well and showed that he belongs in the UFC’s best featherweights right now.
