In the pay-per-view card’s co-headliner, the rising star became the first man to stop former lightweight titleholder Frankie Edgar and is now next in line to face champ Max Holloway. UFC 222 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Edgar started out the first round strong, outpacing Ortega, a jiu-jitsu ace, on the feet. Edgar didn’t do much damage, but he was clearly outpointing Ortega, who struggled to find his rhythm early on.
But with less than 30 seconds left in the opening frame, Ortega landed a left elbow that got Edgar’s attention.