Brian Ortega moving to lightweight after short-notice fight

Brian Ortega’s combat with Diego Lopes on Saturday at UFC 303 may very well be his final within the featherweight division.

Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), a two-time UFC title challenger at 145 kilos, already had set his concentrate on a transfer as much as light-weight for a divisional debut at UFC 306 on Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas earlier than he obtained the decision to combat Saturday.

After Conor McGregor withdrew from the deliberate Worldwide Combat Week headliner vs. Michael Chandler, the UFC needed to reshape the UFC 303 lineup. Ortega obtained the decision to face Lopes (23-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and jumped on the chance, even when it threw a loop into the prevailing plans.

“We talked about combating Sept. 14 at Sphere – that’s the one dialog I had with them that made sense (about what’s subsequent),” Ortega advised MMA Junkie. “I mentioned sure to it. They mentioned sure to it. All of us obtained excited and that was sort of on the planet. They advised me my weight class had nobody that they wished me to combat. They didn’t really need me to combat contenders and stuff, so I made a decision to maneuver to 155. (We had a reputation), however I can’t say it. It’d nonetheless occur. And I hope it does.”

Ortega, No. 7 within the newest USA TODAY Sports activities/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, most not too long ago competed in February the place he earned a third-round submission of Yair Rodriguez. That end result seemingly moved Ortega closing to a 3rd probability to combat for the featherweight belt, however he doesn’t actually see it that method.

There’s a rising queue of choices for reigning champion Ilia Topuria, with a showdown towards BMF champ Max Holloway and a rematch with former titleholder Alexander Volkanovski on the horizon. Ortega mentioned his path to combating for the belt is murky at finest, and he has no want to attend for issues to play out in his favor.

That’s why Ortega, 33, opted for the recent begin in transferring as much as 155 kilos, and it doesn’t matter what occurs towards Lopes, he nonetheless sees that as one of the best profession transfer.

“There’s no title combat for me anytime quickly due to what’s happening within the recreation,” Ortega mentioned. “Max has a assured title shot and Volkanovski does, as properly. So even when Topuria does combat, he fights Max. If Max wins, it’s Max vs. Volk 4, which goes to take as much as subsequent yr. If Topuria wins, then it’s Topuria vs. Volk 2. Then I nonetheless have to attend till subsequent yr. So once I say the title combat’s not coming anytime quickly, it’s simply not due to the favors that each of them have carried out, the leaps and the dangers that they each have taken.

“Volk (fought) on two weeks’ discover towards Islam (Makhachev), and Max towards (Justin) Gaethje, though it was a full camp, he fought for the BMF belt. Each of them, it’s only a lot. Everybody has carried out loads. So for me to say that I’m there and deserve it proper now, it’s not true. Selfishly, after all – since I used to be a child I’ve been chasing to be a champion. However it’s a must to make peace with actuality, and that’s the fact of this recreation proper now. That’s the place it’s at, that’s the place it’s going, so why not simply have enjoyable with my profession?”

If that is certainly his featherweight swan music, Ortega goes in with a sensible mentality and his preparedness. There hasn’t been a real coaching camp, so when he steps into the octagon at T-Cell Area in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), it is going to be Ortega in his rawest kind, and he relishes that.

“I don’t care what anybody says – you may’t practice in two weeks,” Ortega mentioned. “Let’s simply be trustworthy: I can’t practice for you for 2 weeks. You’ll be able to’t practice for me for 2 weeks. It’s a two-week weight lower and we’re going to go in there and simply actually play it as is. We’re simply going to start out combating. We are able to see as a lot tape as we will, however even then it’s not sufficient. We don’t have sufficient time. There’s not sufficient time to course of something. It’s simply get in there, make the burden, combat, and it’s simply loopy – and I find it irresistible. That is the stuff that obtained me within the recreation with the love of the sport.

“On the finish of it I simply figured, why not? When’s the final time I had one thing come up that was thrilling, that was nerve-racking – that made all these emotions occur to the place you’re like, ‘Bro, that is loopy’? Often you get two months. You get to coach. I see the man in my head for 2, three months and I do know all the pieces about him. I’ve watched the movie and you already know what can go improper and what can go proper in every place. However now it’s simply, what for? Let’s simply freaking combat. We’re fighters.”

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