How quickly things change from one day to the next in mixed martial arts.
Brian Ortega was none too pleased by the conversation he and UFC president Dana White last week, a conversation that Ortega believed would leave him without any type of compensation for his efforts leading up to the PPV.
Ortega was set to challenge Max Holloway at UFC 226 for the featherweight title, a fight many believed is the best match-up the 145-pound division has ever seen. Holloway was preemptively removed from the title fight for demonstrating concussion-like symptoms.
The 27-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace voiced his concerns about not getting paid on several social media platforms. However, it appears that Ortega has now been compensated, at some level at least, according to what he told Pheonix Carnevale backstage at a Legacy Fighting Alliance show Friday.
“I feel a lot better now,” Ortega“The heartbreak was a little bit real at first and then once I started to realize the bigger picture and everything and I had to put my ego aside and put my thinking cap on in terms of business-wise. We made the right decision. Talked to Dana just the other day and everything’s good between me and him, he compensated me — we reached an agreement.”
Ortega went on to say that he would have no issues what so ever fighting Jeremy Stephens, a fight that he flat-out refused in a last-minute scramble at UFC 226, provided it was for a title.
“Any fight for the title, that’s it. That’s all I’m looking at. I’m just looking at that gold, that belt,” explained Ortega.”
“Other than that, it really doesn’t matter the opponent, it doesn’t matter if you call it on one day, two days, it’s never been an issue, but the belt’s what I want and I’m going to wait for it and pray that Max gets better so we can give the fight fans the fight that you guys want to see because I know that we missed out for you guys on Saturday at UFC 226, but we’ll make up for it.”
Ideally, Ortega would like to challenge a healthy Holloway for the featherweight title, but given the health issues of the champion this year, that fight seems light years away.
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