Dustin Ortiz: ‘My UFC career was on the line’ at UFC 206

Flyweight contender Dustin Ortiz went into his UFC 206 bout with Zach Makovsky thinking he needed a win to remain on the UFC roster.

Dustin Ortiz went into his UFC 206 bout against Zach Makovsky earlier this month on a two-fight skid — the first losing streak of his career. It was likely Ortiz’s most important fight to date, as he had plenty to lose, even though he was a slight underdog. There was a lot on the line.

The flyweight contender treated the bout as a must-win situation; he believed he needed to get back on track if he wanted to stick around in the big leagues for any longer.

“My UFC career was on the line, I felt,” Ortiz told BloodyElbow.com’s The MMA Circus. “So I went in there, and that’s how I treated this fight throughout the fight camp and throughout the entire fight.”

Ortiz entered the bout, which took place in Toronto, Ont., just outside the flyweight top 10. He had only lost to top contenders, and the 125-pound division is one of the shallowest weight classes in the UFC, with less than 30 fighters currently on the roster, so the organization could use all the flyweight contenders it can get (one would think that, anyway).

Ortiz didn’t have that mindset, though, because he knew there was a reasonable chance he’d still receive a pink slip — the UFC from time to time makes questionable decisions regarding releases, and there’s no reason to think the occasional controversy will suddenly stop. The realist in Ortiz knew there was too big a risk if he made assumptions and figured he was safe no matter what.

He went in expecting the worst had he lost. He was hard on himself. And it paid off.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into it — where I am in my contract, where I am in the rankings, how relevant I am, the following,” Ortiz said. “There’s so many politics that go into every aspect of any sport, any business, things of that nature.

“You have to be at the very top to really stay there and be ensured that you have a bright future. You try to take this up-and-down, rocky road, but you’re never guaranteed anything. To be at the top and to stay there, that’s how you guarantee your position. I just kind of felt like things weren’t 100 percent. If I lost, I’d get cut. If I won, I’d still have a career with the UFC. So I just treated it as my last, and plan to do so with every fight after this.”

Ortiz solidified his position in the flyweight rankings with a clear-cut decision victory over Makovsky on Dec. 10. Although, things could have played out very differently for the Tennessee native had he not believed the bout to be a must-win situation. The two-fight skid gave him motivation to work harder than before, and led to one of Ortiz’s most complete performances inside the Octagon.

“You feel like you’re giving 100 percent, but when you lose, you can look back and say, ‘Man, I might have been able to do this a little bit more of this to prepare for this certain guy’ or ‘I should’ve focused less on this and done a little bit on that.’ You can kind of reevaluate what you did for certain guys and certain fight camps and apply that to your next one, and use that as motivation.

“I don’t like losing. I train so hard, and to not live up and to not perform to my potential is enough motivation to stay in the gym and be the best possible me I can be.”

Back on track, Ortiz is ready to fight yet another top-ranked fighter to move closer and closer to the title picture at 125 pounds. But he isn’t willing to call anyone out, he said, because he never seems to get his wish.

“When I first got into the UFC, I called about three or four guys after winning or losing. And I have still yet to get one person I’ve asked for,” he said. “So I don’t really know what to expect. I’m gonna stay ready. When they need me or want me, they’ll call me, and I’ll sign on the dotted line like I always do.”

Flyweight contender Dustin Ortiz went into his UFC 206 bout with Zach Makovsky thinking he needed a win to remain on the UFC roster.

Dustin Ortiz went into his UFC 206 bout against Zach Makovsky earlier this month on a two-fight skid — the first losing streak of his career. It was likely Ortiz’s most important fight to date, as he had plenty to lose, even though he was a slight underdog. There was a lot on the line.

The flyweight contender treated the bout as a must-win situation; he believed he needed to get back on track if he wanted to stick around in the big leagues for any longer.

“My UFC career was on the line, I felt,” Ortiz told BloodyElbow.com’s The MMA Circus. “So I went in there, and that’s how I treated this fight throughout the fight camp and throughout the entire fight.”

Ortiz entered the bout, which took place in Toronto, Ont., just outside the flyweight top 10. He had only lost to top contenders, and the 125-pound division is one of the shallowest weight classes in the UFC, with less than 30 fighters currently on the roster, so the organization could use all the flyweight contenders it can get (one would think that, anyway).

Ortiz didn’t have that mindset, though, because he knew there was a reasonable chance he’d still receive a pink slip — the UFC from time to time makes questionable decisions regarding releases, and there’s no reason to think the occasional controversy will suddenly stop. The realist in Ortiz knew there was too big a risk if he made assumptions and figured he was safe no matter what.

He went in expecting the worst had he lost. He was hard on himself. And it paid off.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into it — where I am in my contract, where I am in the rankings, how relevant I am, the following,” Ortiz said. “There’s so many politics that go into every aspect of any sport, any business, things of that nature.

“You have to be at the very top to really stay there and be ensured that you have a bright future. You try to take this up-and-down, rocky road, but you’re never guaranteed anything. To be at the top and to stay there, that’s how you guarantee your position. I just kind of felt like things weren’t 100 percent. If I lost, I’d get cut. If I won, I’d still have a career with the UFC. So I just treated it as my last, and plan to do so with every fight after this.”

Ortiz solidified his position in the flyweight rankings with a clear-cut decision victory over Makovsky on Dec. 10. Although, things could have played out very differently for the Tennessee native had he not believed the bout to be a must-win situation. The two-fight skid gave him motivation to work harder than before, and led to one of Ortiz’s most complete performances inside the Octagon.

“You feel like you’re giving 100 percent, but when you lose, you can look back and say, ‘Man, I might have been able to do this a little bit more of this to prepare for this certain guy’ or ‘I should’ve focused less on this and done a little bit on that.’ You can kind of reevaluate what you did for certain guys and certain fight camps and apply that to your next one, and use that as motivation.

“I don’t like losing. I train so hard, and to not live up and to not perform to my potential is enough motivation to stay in the gym and be the best possible me I can be.”

Back on track, Ortiz is ready to fight yet another top-ranked fighter to move closer and closer to the title picture at 125 pounds. But he isn’t willing to call anyone out, he said, because he never seems to get his wish.

“When I first got into the UFC, I called about three or four guys after winning or losing. And I have still yet to get one person I’ve asked for,” he said. “So I don’t really know what to expect. I’m gonna stay ready. When they need me or want me, they’ll call me, and I’ll sign on the dotted line like I always do.”