Brian Ortega came into his UFC 231 fight against champ Max Holloway with a lot of hype. How could he not after knocking Frankie Edgar out cold for his sixth straight UFC win? Once you add in Holloway’s weight cut troubles and that disturbing stroke-like incident in July, you can understand why Ortega came into Toronto a slight betting favorite.
Unfortunately for Brian and those who put money on him winning, Holloway showed up in phenomenal shape and put on an absolute striking clinic, hitting Ortega in round 4 with the most significant strikes ever landed in a single UFC round. That left Brian’s face such a mangled mess that the cageside physician wisely called the fight off before the start of round 5.
At the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White declared Ortega ‘too tough for his own good’ and lauded the doctor’s decision. As for Ortega’s thoughts on the stoppage? We never got to ask him because he was taken straight to the hospital. But now “T-City” has released a short Instagram statement on the fight and the way it ended.
”Doctor stopped it and I agree,” Ortega wrote. “Broken nose and a broken thumb. I was willing to die in there. Last night was Max’s night. I’ll be back. Thank you to everyone who’s always believed in me and supported me.”
Ortega’s coach Rener Gracie had his own Instagram message, directed more towards his pupil than the public.
”When we arrived at the hospital, the first thing you said was ‘I’m sorry.’ My brother, you have nothing to be sorry about,” Gracie wrote. “You came from nothing and you competed on the highest level against one of the best p4p fighter’s in the world. For four rounds, you took his best shots, but you never went down and you never stopped firing back. The heart you displayed last night could never be taught, and I’ve never been so proud to be your coach, your friend and your fan. You didn’t fail, Max prevailed. And if it was ever possible to win in defeat, you did it last night. I love you bro.”
With that kind of support, we’re sure Brian Ortega will be back to terrorizing the 145 pound division in no time. And with Dana White pushing hard for Max Holloway to move up to lightweight, there just might be a vacant title to fight over by the end of 2019.