Brian Ortega Downplays Jay Park Incident: 'It Was Just A Slap'

UFC featherweight contender Brian Ortega slapped The Korean Zombie’s friend, Jay Park, back in March at UFC 248. Ortega, however, continues to downplay the incident.

Following the confrontation, Ortega was escorted out of the T-Mobile arena. Korean Zombie was in the bathroom when the altercation took place and urged his friend to press charges. Jay Park ultimately decided not to involve the police.

With Ortega picking up an injury, the scheduled Ortega and Korean Zombie headline fight on the UFC Busan card last December was cancelled. The Korean Zombie fought Frankie Edgar instead that night, and took the win through a first round finish. With the pair set to meet in October, the Ortega slap is once again under the spotlight.

Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Ortega looks to set the record straight about what went down in March. Ortega is blaming the incident on Jay Park “mouthing off” online. (H/T BJPenn.com)

“Listen, man, I didn’t hit the guy, I didn’t punch the guy or nothing. I was like, just stop with your little antics. You have all these little antics, I’m like just stop with that bro. The fight’s already happening, you don’t gotta pull all these stunts. It got a little like whatever and I was like alright,” says Brian Ortega.

“The internet is full of people who talk sh*t and never have to pay any consequence for it. I don’t know who those people are, but bro I know who you are, and you are kinda mouthing off a little bit. You got a little too much confidence. So I just said it straight.”

The slap has divided fans, but Ortega says it is overblown and everyone is making a big fuss over nothing.

“People don’t agree, that it was immature, whatever, maybe it’s the old me that I kinda gotta check, but it happened. It happened, it is what it was. It was just a slap, dude. These fans pay for our blood, to basically watch us kill each other in the cage, and they’re gonna get offended for a slap. Whatever. My mom slaps me daily when I cuss. It’s a slap. Relax,” Ortega said.

“After I pulled that stunt in Vegas, (the UFC matchmakers) wanted to make this fight. And then it was like ok, anybody else wasn’t offered to us, and the people that were offered were so high up the rankings that it didn’t make sense. And then we’re like yeah alright, Dana White and the people want to see this fight, so we’re like kinda locked into each other,” says Ortega.