UFC featherweight Brian Ortega takes solace in the Bible to help him deal with sting of recent losses
Brian Ortega's recent performances inside the octagon have yielded unfavorable results. The California native has succumbed to three losses in five outings.
Most recently, he lost to Diego Lopes via unanimous decision at Noche UFC 306. The Brazilian-Mexican dominated Ortega in the striking department, even managing to hurt 'T-City' with a two-punch combination in the opening sequence of the first round.
Ortega was once touted as a future champion, having compiled an impressive 14-0 record (1 NC) before his maiden shot at the featherweight championship against Max Holloway at UFC 231. Since then, he has accumulated a 2-4 record, including a loss against Alexander Volkanovski in his second crack at the 145-pound throne.
It seems that the 33-year-old has found solace in the teachings of the Bible amidst recent defeats. He took to X to share footage of a training session with a verse from the Bible which read:
"ACCEPTANCE OF LOSS** "JOB 1:21: THE LORD GAVE, AND THE LORD HAS TAKEN AWAY: BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD."
Check out the X post below:
Ortega dropped two spots on the featherweight rankings after the loss to Lopes. Currently, he holds the No.5 spot in the 145-pound bubble. As for Lopes, the Brazilian-Mexican leapfrogged ten spots to take over the third spot on the rankings, bringing him closer to the title contention picture.
Diego Lopes wants a fight against Alexander Volkanovski after victory over Brian Ortega
A dominant victory over top-ranked contender Brian Ortega has sealed Diego Lopes' status as a potential candidate for the featherweight championship in the future.
The 29-year-old has competed five times since August 2023 and has rattled off five straight wins. Lopes wants to build on this momentum and advance his case for a title shot.
While exploring options for his next bout, Lopes shed light on a potential clash against former divisional champion Alexander Volkanovski. Speaking in an interview with MMA Fighting, he said:
"We’d like the possibility of fighting [Alexander] Volkanovski in December,” Lopes said. “He doesn’t like to wait, and neither do I, so that could be a good fight. A lot can happen, but I think the two most viable options for us right now are being the backup fighter in Abu Dhabi, or fighting Volkanovski in December. The UFC is aware that I’m available for [UFC 308], so it depends on what they want to do.” [H/t: MMA Fighting]