"He's real legacy jiu-jitsu" - When Joe Rogan couldn't praise Brian Ortega's BJJ ability enough
It's only a few days until Brian Ortega returns to the octagon, making it a good opportunity to revisit the time Joe Rogan raved about the fighter. Rogan simply could not give 'T-City' enough credit for his jiu-jitsu abilities in 2016.
Brian Ortega returns to action on Saturday evening for a featherweight match against Yair Rodriguez. Joe Rogan, on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, spoke very highly of Ortega's jiu-jitsu, which may be the determining factor in his upcoming match. Rogan said:
"Well his [Ortega's] jiu-jitsu is off the charts. His technique is so f****** sharp and he could do it with everything: armbars, triangles. Well you know he's real legacy jiu-jitsu. He comes from, you know, that Rener and Ryron and you know that's Rorion's school and where Royce was from. That's the Torrance crew, I mean, that's right from the f****** motherland."
In the quote, Rogan is referring to the Gracie family, who are credited with creating modern-day Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The Torrance school is the first academy the Gracie's opened on North American soil. The academy is also where Ortega began training under Rorion Gracie and his sons at the young age of 13.
Rogan implied that learning from this lineage is what has made Ortega's jiu-jitsu one of the most dangerous weapons in the octagon. Rodriguez, who is known for his striking, will have to overcome some very high-level jiu-jitsu should he succeed on Saturday at UFC Long Island.
You can watch the full excerpt from the Joe Rogan Experience below:
"Those who get it" - Brian Ortega sends cryptic post on Instagram
Ahead of headlining UFC Long Island, Ortega made a cryptic post on his Instagram. The fighter posted a road sign from Mexico pointing towards two different areas. He captioned his post 'Those who get it', shown below:
Ortega is referring to both his own roots and those of his opponent, Yair Rodriguez. Although Ortega was born in LA, he is of Mexican descent with both of his parents hailing from Hermosillo.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, was born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico. Ortega is thus referring to his and Rodriguez's similar backgrounds. The two, who are apparently pretty friendly, will have to put their similarities aside when the cage doors shut Saturday evening on Long Island.