Brian Ortega Lands Devastating Ko Uppercut on Frankie Edgar to Cement Featherweight Title Shot…
Brian Ortega did the unthinkable last night at UFC 222. He became the first man to KO Frankie Edgar. Edgar is renowned for his indestructibility. Who can forget that epic fight way back against Gray Maynard? Maybe Father Time has had its way with Edgar’s epic chin, but he finally met his match in ‘Two Tap’ Ortega.
It was a strange night of fights in Las Vegas. Cris Cyborg went full Cris Cyborg, demolishing newcomer Yana Kunitskaya in the first round. In other notable fights, highly touted ‘Not the Next Ronda Rousey’ Mackenzie Dern made her UFC debut, getting the split decision win over Ashley Yoder. Exciting prospect Sean O’Malley also managed to win.
While Cyborg and Kunitskaya were the official headliners, there’s no doubt that Ortega vs Edgar was the people’s main event. Edgar is a fan-favorite and had no reason to take this fight other than the fact that he didn’t want to let down fans who bought tickets to see him fight the injured lightweight champion, Max Holloway. He could have waited but he didn’t, and now Ortega will be getting the next title shot.
How it Went Down
Before the fight, most were favoring Edgar to get the win over his Californian opponent. Coming off the back of a five-fight win streak, Ortega had never faced a fighter of Edgar’s pedigree. He’s also got a history of taking a lot of damage before using his superb ju-jitsu to strangle his opponents. Most expected him to take the fight to the ground.
That’s not what happened. Instead, we got to see how Ortega’s striking has blossomed. Edgar came out hard but it was no trouble for ‘T-City’. He caught Edgar with a counter left, before cracking him with a massive elbow. Then Ortega literally lifted Edgar off his feet with a huge uppercut. A bit of a ground and pound and it was all over. Crazy stuff.
Title Implications
This will be a sore loss for ‘The Answer’ because with it goes his last chance of getting a crack at the UFC featherweight title. He could have waited for Holloway to get fit, but now that decision to take on Ortega has cost him. Still, Edgar has to be respected for what he’s achieved. He’s in the Donald Cerrone/Michael Bisping grizzled old school mode, and fans will love him for it.
Ortega suddenly has the whole world opening up for him. He’s guaranteed a title shot now, with many hoping that it will force the UFC to go to Hawaii for the first time. It will be a fascinating clash of styles. Holloway’s slick striking against Ortega’s submission game. What a great fight to look forward to. Watch the full highlights below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut0vO_LqbLU
Results
The full results from UFC 222 can be seen below:
Main Card:
Women’s Featherweight: Cris Cyborg def. Yana Kunitskaya via TKO.
Featherweight: Brian Ortega def. Frankie Edgar via TKO.
Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley def. Andre Soukhamthath via unanimous decision.
Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski def. Stefan Struve via unanimous decision.
Women’s Bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira def. Cat Zingano via split decision.
Preliminary Card:
Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern def. Ashley Yoder via split decision.
Lightweight: Alexander Hernandez def. Beneil Dariush via KO.
Bantamweight: John Dodson def. Pedro Munhoz via split decision.
Middleweight: C.B. Dollaway def. Hector Lombard via DQ.
Welterweight: Zak Ottow def. Mike Pyle via TKO.
Bantamweight: Cody Stamann def. Bryan Caraway via split decision.
Light Heavyweight: Jordan Johnson def. Adam Milstead via split decision.
