"People are starting to take notice" - Brian Ortega is taking inspiration from Mexican success in the UFC ahead of Volkanovski fight
Brian Ortega is chasing gold at UFC 266 this weekend. He'll be taking on fellow The Ultimate Fighter 29 coach and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in Saturday's main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ahead of the high-profile showdown, Ortega took inspiration from his Mexican heritage and the recent success of fighters from the country.
During a recent chat with BT Sport's Adam Catterall, Brian Ortega was asked about how the achievements of Mexican athletes like Canelo Alvarez and Brandon Moreno have inspired him. 'T-City' said that the presence of himself and Mexican-American Nick Diaz on the UFC 266 main card was a success for his heritage.
"I got to go out there and I got to do what Mexicans do best. We got to go to war, baby! Let's do it. For sure, I'm excited. I'm very happy about the success that my people are having. For me, to even be in this main event it's already a level of success. Because you have a Mexican-American who is main eventing this card. You have Nick Diaz in there as well. So, we're making noise you know and people are starting to take notice."
Watch BT Sport's interview with Brian Ortega here.
Challenger Ortega and titleholder Volkanovski were originally scheduled to face off at UFC 260 in March. However, a positive COVID-19 test for the champion resulted in the bout being postponed.
The UFC 266 main event will see Brian Ortega's second fight for UFC gold
Brian Ortega previously fought for the featherweight title at UFC 231 in December 2018. Max Holloway was the champion of the division back then. Ortega lost the fight due to a referee stoppage at the end of round four. He'd suffered significant damage in the bout leading up to the stoppage.
After defending it against Frankie Edgar, Holloway then dropped the belt to Alexander Volkanovski. The Australian retained the belt when the pair rematched soon after.
Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) talks about how his approach is different since his last title opportunity and why he wasn't digging "Bald-tega" #UFC266
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WATCH: youtu.be/qN4WZWOW_3U https://t.co/8qcEsdnmqZ
Meanwhile, Brian Ortega didn't fight for almost two years after losing his first title shot in the UFC. He returned last October and defeated 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung in a dominant fashion. The victory secured him his upcoming championship bout with Volkanovski.