UFC fighter Brian Ortega has declared that his UFC 303 fight may be his last in the featherweight division.
The fighter had already made his intention known but was called into a short-notice fighter after McGregor pulled out of the main event matchup against Michael Chandler. The UFC had to make some rearrangements and called up Ortega to seize this opportunity and face Diego Lopez in the co-main event. Although the fight is coming on such short notice, as the fighter plans to transition to the lightweight division, Ortega is still pretty confident. In a sit down with MMA Junkie, Ortega said.
“We talked about fighting Sept, 14 at the Sphere,–that’s the only conversation I had with them that made sense[about what’s next]. I said yes to it. They said yes to it. We all got excited and that was kind of in the world. They told me my weight class had on one that wanted to fight. They didn’t really want me to fight contenders and stuff, so I decided to move to 155. [We had a name] but I can’t say it. It might still happen. And I hope it does.”
Although the currently ranked No. 5 featherweight fighter has been a two-time title challenger and has lost to Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, the titles have eluded him. The fighter believes that his advancement in the division may prove difficult as the current reigning champion, Ilia Topuria, has a list of challengers, including a rematch with Volkanovski. In light of this, Ortega has weighed his options and has decided to move on to a new weight category.
“There’s no title fight for me anytime soon,” Ortega said. “Because of what’s going on in the game. Max has a guaranteed title shot and Vol does as well. So even when Topuria does fight, he fights Max. If Max wins, it’s Max vs. Volk 4, which is going to take up to next year. If Topuria wins and it’s Topuria vs. Volk 2, then I still have of the favors that both them have done. The leaps and the risks that they both have taken, Volk on two week’s notice as well against Islam [Makhchev], and Max against [Justin] Gaethje.
“Although it was a full camp, he faced Gaethje for the ‘BMF’ belt. So both of them, it’s a lot. Everyone done a lot, so for me to say that I’m there and I deserve it right now, it’s not true. Selfishly, of course- since I was a kid I’ve been chasing to be a champion. But you have to make peace with reality, and that’s the reality of this game right now. That’s when it’s at, that’s where it’s going, so why not just have fun with my career?”
Despite his desire to move up to the lightweight division, the fighter seems unprepared. His match with Lopez came on short notice, with only two weeks to prepare. Unfortunately, the fighter hasn’t been in a training camp. The 33-year-old has had just four fights since 2018, and stepping into the octagon to face Lopez will be him in his purest form.
“I don’t care what anyone says–you can’t train in two weeks, Let’s just be honest: I can’t train for you for two weeks.” Ortega said. “You can’t train me for two weeks. It’d a two-week weight cut and we’re going to go in there and just literally play it as is. We’re just going to start fighting. We can see as much tape as we can, but even it’s not enough. We don’t have enough time. There’s not enough time to process anything. It’s just get in there, make the weight, fight and it’s just crazy– and I love it. This is the stuff that got me in the game with the love of the game. …”
Although Ortega does not currently have an opponent in the lightweight class, he is using this opportunity to take care of himself and improve.
“… Now it’s create my own way. If I keep waiting for the right now, it’s like I’m living almost in their shadow or like I’m just waiting. I’m done waiting. I have a beautiful life, I have a beautiful family, I have a beautiful home. I’m going to have a beautiful career and that’s what it is for me.”
