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Brian Ortega: Fighting For Something Bigger

Perennial Featherweight Contender Details Transformative Experience Propelling Him Into UFC 303 This Weekend

Brian Ortega hasn’t fought twice in the same calendar year since 2018, when he knocked out Frankie Edgar in March to punch his ticket to a featherweight championship opportunity against Max Holloway at UFC 231 in December.

Saturday night in Las Vegas, that changes, as the 33-year-old standout makes his second start of the year in a highly anticipated short-notice showdown with rising star Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena.

UFC 303 Full Fight Card Preview

“Well, what was going on with my career before is I would fight, and then I would have surgery, and then I would have to be out for a full year after that, so it allowed me to only fight once a year,” offered Ortega, who registered a third-round submission win over Yair Rodriguez in February in Mexico City.