Athletes
Brian Ortega: Fighting For Something Bigger
Perennial Featherweight Contender Details Transformative Experience Propelling Him Into UFC 303 This Weekend
Brian Ortega hasn’t fought twice in the same calendar year since 2018, when he knocked out Frankie Edgar in March to punch his ticket to a featherweight championship opportunity against Max Holloway at UFC 231 in December.
Saturday night in Las Vegas, that changes, as the 33-year-old standout makes his second start of the year in a highly anticipated short-notice showdown with rising star Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena.
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“Well, what was going on with my career before is I would fight, and then I would have surgery, and then I would have to be out for a full year after that, so it allowed me to only fight once a year,” offered Ortega, who registered a third-round submission win over Yair Rodriguez in February in Mexico City.
It was his first appearance since the two met in the summer of 2022 on Long Island, when their bout was halted towards the end of the opening round when Ortega suffered a shoulder injury that subsequently resulted in his going under the knife, again.
“Now after this last fight, I didn’t have surgery or nothing, so I’m here; let’s go.”
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While he’s certainly excited to be competing for a second time this year — and in considerably less time than usual for him — the featherweight mainstay does admit being back in fight week so quickly feels a little strange.
“Yeah, it’s so weird,” he said with a smile. “I got used to fighting once a year. ‘Oh cool — fight once a year, do a bunch of rehab, and then fight again.’ And now I’m here, and then trying to get ready for another one after this.”
Competing this weekend wasn’t originally the plan for the two-time title challenger.
Ortega and Lopes were drafted to this weekend’s fight card after the main event pairing between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler had to be postponed; the UFC envisioning the featherweights as an all-action combination guaranteed to set the Octagon alight on Saturday night.
Though a bout on June 29 was not initially on his calendar, the 33-year-old has found a deeply personal motivation for making the walk this weekend.
Since being tapped to compete on Saturday night, Ortega has spoken about his experiences with Fearless Church and its “Man Camp,” a retreat he attended with his two sons, pledging to donate a portion of his UFC 303 fight purse to the church in order to help expand the program going forward.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” began the soft-spoken fighter. “My pastor invited me, and lately, following the church and his guidance has been something good for my life, so I said, ‘Why not? Let’s go.’
“The first time I went, I didn’t have such a great experience. I went there and it was beautiful. I went there with my boys, took an RV out there — we were playing soccer ’til two in the morning on this little field they made with tires around it. They made a paintball field. They made a tent for the service or to just talk and hang out.
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“For not a lot of money, it was a pretty dope setup.
"It was just a vacation with the boys, and to see my kids worship the Lord, get on their knees and pray, and then when we spoke, every day, things got more interesting, they got better,” continued Ortega, who has hinted in the past at having to navigate dark and trying times without ever fully going into detail about his experiences. “I got to see men be more vulnerable than they have ever been — be honest about what is going on with them, why they are where they are, why they are in their dark places, where they are in their dark places.
“It was a group of us there for each other. We supported each other. We saw each other. I saw a lot of people for who they are. That transparency was real, and people were willing to take advice to better their life. It wasn’t like they were in denial; they were basically all saying, ‘I’m done trying things my way; I want a better way,’ and I’ve been there before.
“It was beautiful to see that and know that when that happens, there is the ability to really change some lives there,” he added. “So if I can help that cause on a bigger, bigger scale, then I feel like that is what I want to do.”
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For Ortega, his bout with Rodriguez in Mexico City was a beautiful moment that carried a great deal of significance for him; a beautiful moment of redemption after finally navigating his way out of the darkness and getting both his life and career together.
This weekend, stepping in with Lopes is about providing for his church, and challenging himself against one of the most dangerous talents in the division.
“He’s gonna bring out the best in me again,” he said of the pairing with Lopes, who enters on a three-fight winning streak where he’s finished each successive opponent in quicker fashion than the last. “Every time there is someone in there to push you and try to take what’s yours, that’s who you want to fight; the most dangerous people that are out there.
“At the end of the day, they force you to step it up, because if you don’t, you’re done.
“He’s good; he’s someone that has got a lot of hype behind him,” he added. “He’s obviously young, hungry, and he wants it. This is why we’re the co-main event.”
UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 29, 2024. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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