UFC star Brian Ortega revealed that concerns from doctors ultimately led to him moving up to lightweight. Ortega was a fixture in the featherweight title picture, challenging for the title twice during his career.
While Ortega has consistently been among the top 10 ranked featherweights, he experienced a losing skid. ‘T-City’ has also experienced difficulties while cutting weight, particularly in his latest fight with Aljamain Sterling. That fight saw Ortega miss weight, which led to the fight moving forward as a 153 pounds catchweight bout.
Ortega, now 35, aims for a career resurgence with his move up to lightweight. ‘T-City’ admitted that doctors had concerns about what could happen if he decided to attempt another weight cut to 145 pounds. As a result, he confirmed that his lightweight move will likely be permanent.
“I talked to the coaches. At the end of the day, trying to make 145 pounds could have been a pretty bad situation,” Ortega exclusively told Heavy Sports via CanadaCasino. “A lot of people were saying I was getting to a line where some fighters don’t come back. After I heard the doctors explain that to me, it raised some concerns, so moving to 155 pounds made sense.”
Brian Ortega Reveals How He Feels During His Training Camp for UFC 331
Brian Ortega also revealed how he has felt during his training camp for his lightweight bout against Renato Moicano at UFC 331.
Ortega admitted that he had felt a lot better physically, particularly due to not having many diet restrictions. Not having to cut an additional 10 pounds will definitely make for a more comfortable weight cut.
“Being lightweight, it’s normal. It’s always good that I don’t have to do anything crazy when it comes to dieting. You don’t have to diet as much, and it’s not like a fat camp. Basically, you have more leniency to do whatever you want, so it’s been great,” Ortega exclusively told Heavy Sports via CanadaCasino.
Ortega Weighs In on His Lightweight Bout Against Renato Moicano
Ortega also shared his thoughts on his upcoming lightweight clash against Moicano. It is a rematch of their UFC 214 bout, where ‘T-City’ submitted Moicano with a guillotine choke in the 3rd round. Both competitors were awarded a Fight of the Night bonus.
Nine years later, Ortega aims to prove himself in his new weight division against a former title challenger. ‘T-City’ is confident that he will get his hand raised and explained what makes Moicano an appealing matchup.
“I fought Moicano before and seeing him move up to 155 pounds and have success was a good thing to see. Now I go to 155 pounds and fight him, he gets his rematch, and I get a chance to go up to lightweight and fight. As for him, like anyone, we watch people’s tendencies, habits, and what they might do against us, and we prep as best as we can for that war,” Ortega exclusively told Heavy Sports via CanadaCasino.
“There are some similarities to the first time we fought in terms of his heart, grit, and style. As time has evolved, both of us have gotten better since then. We fought each other when we were young, and now we’re going to fight each other when we’re older. So we’ll see how much better we’ve gotten, and this is going to be a good test of that.”
UFC Star Brian Ortega Reveals Doctors’ Concerns Led to His Lightweight Move: Exclusive