The UFC returned to Mexico last night in front of a packed-out crowd at Arena CDMX. Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval headlined the event, with the latter gaining revenge on Moreno by beating him by split decision, avenging his TKO loss in November 2020 at UFC 255. The result puts Royval back in the flyweight title picture with the belt currently held by Alexandre Pantoja. The co-main event in Mexico City saw a rematch between Brain Ortega and Yair Rodriguez.
Ortega comes through numerous adversities
It’s been a turbulent three years for Brian Ortega. In March 2021, he was scheduled to fight Alexander VOlkanovski for the UFC featherweight title, but the fight was canceled due to protocols surrounding the pandemic.
After coaching on The Ultimate Fighter alongside Volkanovski, the fight was rescheduled for UFC 266 on September 25, 2021. Ortega came within a whisker of dethroning the dominant champion with a couple of submission attempts, which left Volkanovski on the brink of either tapping out or becoming unconscious. If it weren’t for Volkanovski having the heart of a lion, Ortega would have become the champion that night in Las Vegas. The fight went to the judge’s scorecards, and Volkanovski retained his belt via a unanimous decision victory.
His next fight was against last night’s opponent, Yair Rodriguez, on July 16, 2022, in Elmont, New York. Ortega suffered a dislocated shoulder towards the end of the first round and could not continue. Then last year, a very public breakup with fellow UFC fighter Tracy Cortez couldn’t have been easy to deal with, coupled with multiple surgeries resulting in an extended period on the sidelines.
Ortega returned last night and was given a chance at redemption at Yair Rodriguez, but the fight got off on the wrong footing (quite literally). As the UFC announcer, Bruce Buffer, announced Ortega’s name, he bounced up and down and rolled over on his ankle, which was visible on the broadcast. He was visibly in pain, but his coaches screamed at him to focus on the task ahead of him and put the ankle issue to the back of his mind.
The ankle problem played a factor in the first round, as Ortega looked flat-footed. He showed he has a great chin as he ate numerous punches from Rodriguez and lost the round convincingly. Round two was a big improvement for Ortega as he utilized his grappling skills to control much of the round and make it one round apiece.
In the third, Ortega continued showcasing his Jiiu-Jitsu and took Rodriguez down once again. He landed an arm-triangle choke, leaving his opponent in a predicament as it was tight. Rodriguez tapped out, completing a remarkable turnaround for Ortega, who probably thought his bad luck would continue after he hurt his foot seconds before the fight began.
Who’s next for Brian Ortega?
At the moment, it is unclear as a couple of things need to play out first. It’s not been long since Ilia Topuria became the champion, and it’s looking likely that Alexander Volkanovski will get an immediate rematch later this year, possibly in Spain. Ortega would then need one more victory before staking a claim for a UFC title shot.
Max Holloway is a possibility for his next opponent, but that depends on how his fight with Justin Gaethje goes at UFC 300. Holloway is moving up to lightweight for the BMF title fight, and if he is victorious, there is every chance he could stay at the 155lbs. Even if Holloway were to lose against Gaethje, he could still be in line for a title shot at featherweight ifIlia Topuria is still the champion later this year.
A fight between Ortega and Holloway is potentially on the cards and would be a rematch of their fight at UFC 231 in 2018, which Holloway won in the fourth round by a TKO stoppage. Ortega will likely move into the #3 slot in the featherweight rankings following his win over Yair Rodriguez and may have to fight someone below him in his next outing. In this case, the most likely opponent would be Movsar Evolev, the #5 ranked unbeaten Russian with a perfect 18-0 record.
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