It was an inauspicious beginning, to say the least, for Brian Ortega at UFC Fight Night 237.
It started with the pre-fight introductions, when Ortega appeared to sprain his ankle while jumping around inside the Octagon. It wasn’t exactly the best way to begin one’s first fight since July 2022.
“Talk about things stacked against me,” Ortega said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Bruce [Buffer] was introducing me and then I jumped up and when I landed, I rolled my ankle. I was like, ‘Oh shoot.’ … When they were introducing [Yair Rodriguez], I was trying to flex my ankle…We’ve got five rounds.