Brian Ortega Eyes Fight With UFC Champion After Max Holloway

Brian Ortega is already looking at his next opponent.

Despite the promotion already announcing that the rising contender would be challenging Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight title at the upcoming UFC 226 pay-per-view event, Ortega has his sights set on challenging another UFC champion.

That current UFC champ is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is fresh off a decision win over Al Iaquinta at the UFC 223 pay-per-view event to win the vacant lightweight title.

If you recall, Ortega beat former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at the UFC 222 pay-per-view, which secured the opportunity to challenge for the featherweight title.

He is unbeaten in his MMA career and holds wins over the likes of Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano, and Clay Guida.

“Not too many people present a good ground game from the bottom,” Ortega said to MMAJunkie. “They survive a little bit, and it’s kind of boring. But not too many people are attacking from the bottom, hurting with elbows. They don’t bring that kind of game because it takes a long time to develop.

Whereas me, I grew up in that situation, where I was always the bottom guy, always getting beat up by these guys. So I had to adapt my game to that.”

“I was curious as to what was going to happen,” Ortega said. It’s on my radar,” he said. “I have a big fight right now, but that one, for sure, it’s on the radar. I have to be successful on July 7, and hopefully, I can make that happen after.”

UFC 226 is set to take place on Saturday, July 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.