Brian Martin Ortega (born February 21, 1991) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who currently competes in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). A professional since 2010, Ortega has also competed in the RFA, where he was the Featherweight Champion. As of April 15, 2025, he is #7 in the UFC featherweight rankings.

Background

Ortega was born on February 21, 1991, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California. Ortega has both American and Mexican citizenships as his parents hailed from

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He grew up in a Section 8

housing project Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

of San Pedro, California. When Ortega was 13 he began learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu after his father enlisted him at the ''Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy'' in

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

. Ortega started training under head coach Rener Gracie who saw great potential in him.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

When Ortega was 17, he met boxing coach James Luhrsen, who trained him in striking skills to complement the ground work Ortega was learning with Gracie. Ortega began his career competing for regional promotions exclusively in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. He won his first pro-MMA championship against Carlos Garces in a five-round bout via unanimous decision, becoming the Respect in the Cage featherweight champion.Respect in the Cage Featured Fighters
URL accessed on October 11, 2011. Ortega went on to compile an undefeated record of 8–0 before signing with the UFC in April 2014. He credited his success to support and love from James Luhrsen and Rener Gracie.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ortega was expected to make his promotional debut against

Diego Brandão Diego Brandão (born 27 May 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2005, he formerly competed for the UFC, RIZIN, and Fight Nights Global. He was the winner of Spike TV ...

on May 31, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale. However, Brandao pulled out of the bout in the days leading up to the event citing an injury. Due to the late nature of the change, officials did not try to find a replacement and Ortega was pulled from the card as well. Ortega eventually made his debut on July 26, 2014, at UFC on Fox 12 against Mike De La Torre. Originally, a first round submission (rear-naked choke) win for Ortega, the result was changed to " No Contest" after Ortega tested positive for drostanolone during a post fight screening. Subsequently, Ortega was fined $2,500 and suspended for nine months. Ortega faced Thiago Tavares on June 6, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 68. He won the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the third round. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Ortega faced

, who is a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, on January 2, 2016, at UFC 195. After being down against Diego's striking for the first two rounds, Ortega rallied and won via triangle choke in the third round. At UFC 199 on June 4, 2016, Ortega defeated Clay Guida by KO in the third round. After winning the first round, Guida won the second round and looked to have the third won until Ortega rallied and won via a flying knee near the end of the round. Ortega was expected to face Hacran Dias on October 1, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 96. However, Ortega pulled out of the fight in early September and was replaced by Andre Fili. Ortega next faced Renato Moicano on July 29, 2017, at UFC 214. He won the back and forth fight via submission in the third round with a guillotine choke, while both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night bonus. Ortega faced

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, S ...

on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123. He was victorious in the fight, winning in the second round by guillotine choke submission. The finish put Ortega's streak at five straight fights won with a finish, which at the time was the second longest current win streak in the UFC featherweight division behind the champion,

Max Holloway Jerome Max Keli'i Holloway (born December 4, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Fea ...

. The win also earned him the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors. Ortega faced Frankie Edgar on March 3, 2018, at UFC 222. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. In doing so, he became the first man to ever finish Edgar in MMA. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus. Ortega was scheduled to face

for the

UFC Featherweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

ship on July 7, 2018, at UFC 226. However, on July 4, Holloway was pulled from the fight due to "concussion like symptoms". Hence, Ortega scratched from the fight after Holloway's withdrawal. The fight against

eventually took place on December 8, 2018, in the main event at

UFC 231 ''UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between M ...

. Ortega lost the fight by doctor stoppage at the end of the fourth round. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award. Ortega was scheduled to face Chan Sung Jung on December 21, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 23. However, Ortega pulled out of the fight in early December citing a knee injury. The bout against Jung eventually took place on October 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie. Dropping Jung multiple times, Ortega won the one sided match by unanimous decision. Ortega was scheduled for a UFC Featherweight Championship bout against current

Alexander Volkanovski Alexander Volkanovski (born 29 September 1988) is an Australian professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where ...

on March 27, 2021, at UFC 260. However, the fight was cancelled due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

protocols. On April 2, 2021, it was announced that

and Ortega would be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 29 at

ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...

and the show will feature contestants at bantamweight and middleweight. Ortega faced

on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266 for the UFC Featherweight Championship. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award. Ortega faced Yair Rodríguez on July 16, 2022, at UFC on ABC 3. He lost the fight via TKO at the end of the first round after suffering a dislocated shoulder which rendered him unable to continue. After a year and a half layoff, Ortega returned to rematch against Yair Rodríguez on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237. Ortega won the fight via arm-triangle submission in the third round. This fight earned him another '' Performance of the Night'' award. Ortega was scheduled to face Diego Lopes in a Lightweight bout on June 29, 2024, at UFC 303. The bout was originally scheduled for Featherweight, but was changed one day before the event due to weight cutting issues by Ortega. Subsequently, the day of the event, Ortega withdrew from the bout due to an illness and was replaced at the last minute by Dan Ige. The bout with Diego Lopes was rebooked and eventually took place on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (Five times) ** Performance of the Night (Three times) ***Fifth most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Featherweight division history (8) **Tied ( Ricardo Lamas &

) for second most finishes in UFC Featherweight division history (7) **Tied ( Daniel Pineda, Chas Skelly & Makwan Amirkhani) for second most submissions in UFC Featherweight division history (4) **Tied (

Dennis Bermudez Dennis Ross Bermudez (born December 13, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. Bermudez has been a professi ...

) for fifth most submission attempts in UFC Featherweight division history (12) **UFC Honors Awards *** 2021: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards ***2015: Ranked #6 Fight of the Year ***2016: Ranked #3 Submission of the Year ***2017: Ranked #10 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #4 Submission of the Year *** 2018: Ranked #4 Fight of the Year , Best Knockout of the 1HY & Ranked #2 Knockout of the Year ***2021: Ranked #2 Fight of the Year *** 2024: Best Submission of the 1HY & Ranked #5 Submission of the Year * Resurrection Fighting Alliance ** RFA Featherweight Champion (one time) * World MMA Awards ** 2017 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year * MMAjunkie.com ** 2015 June Fight of the Month vs. Thiago Tavares ** 2021 September Fight of the Month vs.

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

** 2021 Fight of the Year vs.

* MMA Mania ** 2021 Fight of the Year vs.

* MMA Sucka ** 2021 Fight of the Year vs.

Controversies

UFC 248 incident

On March 8, 2020, a police report was filed against Ortega for allegedly slapping rapper

Jay Park Jay Park (born April 25, 1987), Korean name Park Jae-beom (), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and dancer based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based breakdancing, b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM), and founder and former ...

, translator for Jung Chan-sung (Korean Zombie), at UFC 248.

Personal life

Ortega has two sons. He was engaged to fellow UFC fighter Tracy Cortez.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–4 (1) , Diego Lopes , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 306 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

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Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

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Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada , , - , Win , style="text-align:center", 14–0 (1) , Frankie Edgar , KO (punch) , UFC 222 , , style="text-align:center", 1 , style="text-align:center", 4:44 ,

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, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega , , style="text-align:center", 2 , style="text-align:center", 3:22 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

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Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center", 11–0 (1) , Clay Guida , KO (knee) , UFC 199 , , style="text-align:center", 3 , style="text-align:center", 4:40 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

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New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

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San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

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Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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Jordan Rinaldi Jordan Rinaldi (born September 25, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the welterweight Complete Devastation champion. Rinaldi competed in featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Rinaldi was b ...

, Submission (triangle choke) , RFA 9 , , style="text-align:center", 3 , style="text-align:center", 2:29 ,

Pomona, California Pomona ( ) is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was ...

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, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center", 3–0 , Vincent Martinez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Respect in the Cage 5 , , style="text-align:center", 1 , style="text-align:center", 1:54 ,

, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center", 2–0 , Brady Harrison , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiator Challenge: Bad Behaviour , , style="text-align:center", 3 , style="text-align:center", 5:00 , San Jacinto, California, United States , , - , Win , style="text-align:center", 1–0 , John Sassone , Submission (triangle choke) , Gladiator Challenge: Maximum Force , , style="text-align:center", 1 , style="text-align:center", 1:48 , San Jacinto, California, United States ,

Pay-per-view bouts

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega, Brian 1991 births American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Featherweight mixed martial artists People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Martial artists from Torrance, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters People from San Pedro, Los Angeles Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American sportsmen