Brian Ortega took 500 punches in UFC title fights – but he still wants another
Featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes will finally throw down this weekend.
UFC 306: Noche -- headlined by a bantamweight title bout between reigning champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili -- promises to be a spectacle for the ages, coming live from the futuristic £2billion Las Vegas Sphere on Saturday night.
5
It's been a long-time coming for Ortega and Lopes after they were originally slated to fight at UFC 303 in June.
In particular it's been a long road for veteran 'T-City', who still has world champion aspirations despite appearing in two UFC Featherweight title fights during his career and taking over 500 punches against a couple of all-time greats.
The 33-year-old's first taste of UFC gold came against current 'BMF' champion Max Holloway at UFC 231 in Decemeber, 2018.
Ortega took a historic beating from 'Blessed' during the scrap, absorbing 307 strikes, 290 of which were significant before being stopped in his corner at the end of the fourth round.
READ MORE UFC
The battered, bloody, and bruised Mexican-American took a couple of years off from the sport following that beat down. Ortega eventually returned to the Octagon in October 2020 and looked better than ever as he coasted to a decision win over ‘The Korean Zombie’.
That impressive win set up another title fight, this time against Alexander Volkanovski, who had emerged as the pre-eminent force at 145 lbs during Ortega's hiatus from the sport.
The 1st degree BJJ black belt almost pulled of a stunning upset against 'The Great'. Ortega had the former UFC pound-for-pound king in two deep submissions but Volk was ultimately able to wriggle out of them and pick up a decision win.
'T-City’ also took a lot of damage in that championship fight, being on the wrong end of 229 blows, taking his title fight tally up to 536 punches.
Most read in MMA
Ortega, who celebrated his 10-year anniversary with the promotion back in July, has been at the centre of several crowd-pleasing yet bruising wars over the years.
5
5
His career is littered with statement victories, painful defeats and lengthy injuries, nevertheless, he remains undeterred in his quest for a UFC belt.
And, after winning his rematch with Yair Rodriguez at the UFC Mexico City Fight Night in February, he now faces rising star Lopes with a win potentially setting him up for another title run at featherweight or even a move to lightweight.
Ortega and 2023 UFC Newcomer of the Year Lopes were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 303.
UFC CEO Dana White names his MMA Mount Rushmore that includes Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Georges St-Pierre
The mixed martial artists were widely lauded for stepping up on short-notice to save the card after Conor McGregor broke his pinky toe and was forced to withdraw from the main event with Michael Chandler.
However, Ortega, a huge featherweight, was forced to pull out of the fight last minute when the weight cut became too much.
No. 13 ranked featherweight Lopes, who is currently riding a four-fight win streak, stuck around for the card, fighting Dan Ige at a catchweight where he managed to secure a thrilling decision victory.
5
5
That win then set the stage for a more consequential match with No.3 ranked Ortega at UFC 306 that could have serious ramifications for the division.
Featherweight is stacked right now with champion Ilia Topuria set to face Holloway at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi in October.
No. 1 contender Volkanovski is also still in the mix while the likes of Rodriguez, Arnold Allen and Movsar Evloev also top the rankings.
Ortega has hinted at a move to 155 lbs in the past, but for now his sights firmly remain on Lopes and remaining in the title picture at 145 lbs.
“You already know it's going to be crazy,” he said of the upcoming fight.
“Just the fact that the fights are at Sphere, that's one thing. And then you add Mexican Independence Day, which I wasn't here (last year), but from what I heard, it went off. It was crazy. The crowd, the energy was wild.
Read More on talkSPORT
“Hopefully, that can be duplicated this year.”
The marquee event also features a fascinating trilogy flyweight title fight between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.
Topics