Brian Ortega didn't get his hand raised on Saturday in perhaps the most important fight of his MMA career, when he took on Yair Rodriguez at Arena CDMX in a rematch of a 2022 fight. A cynic would say that's not surprising give his recent results.
That cynic would be wrong, though, and way out of line.
Ortega scored perhaps his most impressive victory since a submission of Renato Moicano in 2017 when he overcame a terrible first round in which he was nearly finished and an ankle injury during introductions to submit Rodriguez with an arm triangle at 58 seconds of the third round.
Referee Marc Goddard didn't raise Ortega's arm at Ortega's request, as he was trying to show respect to Rodriguez, who was born in Mexico and had the fans heavily on his side on Saturday.
He entered the bout having coming off of four surgeries following a loss to Rodriguez in 2022, when he dislocated his shoulder and tore his rotator cuff. He also fought with the burden of two losses in a row and three in his last four.
When the fight began, it didn't go well at the start for him, even before the bell. As ring announcer Bruce Buffer was making introductions, Ortega was jumping up and down. When he came down, his foot hit a wet spot on the canvas and he seemed to roll it.
"I was that happened and he looked like he'd seen a ghost," UFC CEO Dana White said. "After that, I thought it was going to be over quick."
It looked like it would be over after Rodriguez cracked him with a blazing right hand early in the first that dropped Ortega. Rodriguez battered him in the first and left Ortega bleeding, wheezing and reeling.
WELCOME BACK BRIAN ORTEGA 🤯@BrianTCity submits Rodriguez for a HUGE victory at #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/fn2yVkU5V8
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024
He didn't allow that to happen. He told KevinIole.com before the fight how he'd changed his life since the loss to Rodriguez, and he put that into practice when he was in trouble. Even when he rolled his ankle, he started to think bad thoughts but then realized he would be fine.
"When they were introducing us, I rolled my ankle and I freaked out," Ortega said. "Then I was like, 'No, no. God is good. God is going to protect me. And then in the first round, you feel like it but I was like, 'Nah God, I know you're here and you ain't leaving me.' "
In the second, Ortega used his grappling to turn the tide. He opened the third with a trip takedown and quickly maneuvered into position to get the arm triangle. It didn't take very long to get Rodriguez to tap and he had a victory he very much needed.
He began his career 14-0 but even with Saturday's win, is 2-3 since. A loss Saturday would have probably removed him from the ranks of legitimate title contenders. Instead, he got a win even if his arm wasn't raised and he impressed his boss in the process.
"Brian Ortega, when he's mentally and physically right is a problem for anybody," White said.
He proved that big-time on Saturday.