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Brian Ortega, having achieved almost everything at featherweight except an undisputed UFC title, is now setting his sights on the lightweight division.
Next Saturday, Ortega will face Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303 in Las Vegas. This fight was arranged on short notice for both athletes after the top two fights on the card—Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler and Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg—were canceled. Ortega wasn't planning for such an early return to action, nor to continue at featherweight, where he has spent most of his career.
Initially, Ortega aimed for a lightweight fight in September at the Las Vegas Sphere.
“We talked about fighting Sept. 14 at the Sphere,” Ortega told. “That’s the only conversation I legitimately had with them that made sense. I said yes to it, they said yes to it, we all got excited, and that was kind of the work. They told me that my weight class had no one really that they wanted me to fight. They didn’t want me to fight contenders and stuff, so I decided to move to 155.”
Ranked No. 3 at 145 pounds in the UFC Rankings, Ortega finds himself in a difficult position regarding title contention. He has twice challenged for the UFC featherweight title, losing to Max Holloway at UFC 231 and Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266.
Ortega has defeated several ranked contenders, but with current featherweight champion Ilia Topuria occupied, his opportunities are limited.
“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 Volk 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 to wait until next year."
Ortega is realistic about his situation. Although with no title fight guaranteed shortly, Ortega now aims to have a bit of fun in his limited career in MMA. Injuries have plagued Ortega's career, limiting the 33-year-old to just four fights since 2018. If he moves up to lightweight, he has no specific opponent in mind but is eager to take advantage of his rare stretch of good health.
“Islam at 155? It’s not even chasing him,” Ortega said. “There’s nothing in my weight class, why not move up to another one? Let me fight. I haven’t been healthy in a while. I just want to fight and at this point, I’ve fought a who’s who in terms of champion-wise. I beat basically almost everyone I faced except for the two champs in their prime. I fought Max when he was Max, and Volk when he was Volk, and I came up short on both."
Ortega is ready to forge his path, stating he's done waiting and prefers to focus on his beautiful life, family, and career.
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