Brian Ortega’s triumph in his second UFC bout symbolized a turning point, shifting from financial despair to renewed optimism, showcasing the high stakes and dramatic transformations in the life of a UFC fighter.
Brian Ortega once considered retiring from MMA (Image via: IMAGO)
He contended for the UFC featherweight championship twice during his career. However, he was defeated in both matches against (name) and (name) respectively. Nonetheless, he came incredibly close to becoming the champion against Volkanovski with a mounted guillotine, which the Australian miraculously escaped. Nevertheless, Ortega is adored by fans due to his unwavering resilience, impressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills, and immense power.
Despite establishing himself as one of the top featherweight fighters in the UFC, he once contemplated retirement. Ortega emerged victorious in his UFC debut but was subsequently banned by the athletic commission for testing positive for an anabolic steroid. However, he secured a win in his second fight following the suspension, leading to a change of heart regarding retirement. Ortega openly discussed this on a podcast. Here are his words.
Ortega’s appearance on the podcast occurred just before his bout with Yair Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 3. Unfortunately, this also marked his final appearance inside the octagon as he dislocated his shoulder during the fight. Prior to that, he suffered a unanimous decision loss against Volkanovski. Interestingly, Ortega’s upcoming fight is a rematch against (name) in the co-main event of UFC Mexico. Both Rodriguez and Ortega have had limited activity, with Ortega only participating in his fourth fight in five years, while Rodriguez has fought in his fifth bout in four years.
Brian Ortega was EXTREMELY CLOSE to retiring from MMA??? #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/WXea1SrCyr
Ortega’s second fight took place at UFC 195 against (name), a seasoned fighter who has competed against (name) and (name). Ortega and Brandao engaged in a fierce battle, and in the third round, Ortega knocked out Brandao. Their performance earned them a $50K bonus from the UFC. At the time, Ortega’s earnings were $12K for participating and an additional $12K for winning the fight.
Brian Ortega’s rematch against (name) will be held in Mexico City during the upcoming Fight Night UFC event. The UFC has curated a fight card with a significant number of Mexican fighters, with 11 out of 26 competitors hailing from Mexico. (Name) and (name) will headline the Pay-Per-View. Ortega is currently in Mexico City, where he met with fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert (name).
Ortega is renowned as one of the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the featherweight division. Oliveira previously competed in the featherweight category before becoming the UFC lightweight champion. Additionally, he holds the record for the most submissions in both divisions. Ortega and Oliveira crossed paths at the fighter hotel in UFC Mexico City and shared a heartfelt embrace.
Oliveira x Brian Ortega pic.twitter.com/b9GkRCoCRf
Oliveira was present as his teammate (name) prepared to face (name) in a preliminary fight. Similar to Dos Santos, Ortega will face a Mexican opponent, resulting in the crowd’s support being against him. Only two fights on the UFC Mexico City fight card do not feature a Mexican fighter.
According to the Source firstsportz.com