Brian Ortega Makes Encouraging Prediction For Max Holloway Fight
Brian Ortega makes an encouraging prediction for his upcoming title fight against Max Holloway at the UFC 231 pay-per-view event.
The fight was reported over the weekend that Ortega would challenge the champion for the lightweight title. This is a fight that has been in the making for months now after their original fight date was nixed.
It’s been well documented that Holloway was slated to make his next title defense against the top contender in the co-main event of the UFC 226 pay-per-view event. That show went down in July at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But Holloway was forced to pull out of the fight.
In a recent interview, Brian Ortega makes his case for the importance of this fight. He also spoke about what fight fans should expect from this highly anticipated fight in the 145-pound division.
Brian Ortega Makes Encouraging Prediction
“Now the world sees why I didn’t take the fight with Jeremy Stephens,” Ortega said. “I’m not trying to down him or nothing. I’m going to stay humble and keep it classy. But that’s the reason, I just didn’t want to fight backwards. It wasn’t the fact that I was afraid. The real fans that understand and appreciate the game. It’s OK, but I’m sorry. We’re going to be patient, but now look. We’re going to give you guys the show that you deserve in December.”
“I want the real title,” Ortega said. “I can’t express it enough that I want to fight for the real title. The interim title, from what I’ve seen … people get it and then they take it away in a month. I just don’t want to be that person. I have nothing against them who earned their shot and took a fight on short notice. All my respect to them. But I want something they cannot take away from me – at least the UFC can’t. If someone’s going to take it from me, it’s going to have to be an opponent, and that’s what I want.”
The UFC 231 pay-per-view is set to take place on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET. Preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass. The promotion will announce more bouts for this upcoming card in the coming weeks.
Meaning
“I get emotional,” Ortega said to MMA Junkie. “For me to put so much time in and have something like that happen, and I felt like I was thrown under the bus. It sucked, because I felt like I didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, I’ve been doing everything to try to please the promotion. You guys called me for six days on Khabib (Nurmagomedov), I took it. You called me for Frankie (Edgar) on three weeks, I took it. You guys called me back in the day for two weeks on (Thiago) Tavares, I took it. It’s never been a fear thing. It’s never been that I’m not a company man. But at the same time, every step that I’ve taken is a strategic step.”
“Fight of the year,” Ortega said. “To top the year off.”
