UFC featherweight intervenes after Ilia Topuria questions Brian Ortega's self-esteem
Top-ranked UFC featherweight contender Dan Ige recently stepped in to defend fellow fighter Brian Ortega after Ilia Topuria questioned Ortega's self-esteem. Ige felt compelled to intervene as he felt Topuria's comments were disrespectful towards 'T City'.
Ilia Topuria, the No.9-ranked featherweight fighter in the UFC, and former title challenger Brian Ortega have been embroiled in a war of words for some time now.
Recently, Dan Ige, another well-known featherweight fighter, stepped in to address the Georgian-Spanish mixed martial artist's comments towards Brian Ortega. '50K', in response to Topuria's taunts, asserted that no fighter in the division is intimidated by Topuria's presence. Ige stated:
"Nobody is scared of you."
@Topuriailia @BrianTcity Nobody is scared of you
Dan Ige, a professional MMA fighter, most recently competed in January 2023, where he secured a knockout victory over Damon Jackson. With this win, Ige has added to his impressive professional record of 16 wins and 6 losses. As a featherweight contender in the UFC, Ige has gained a reputation for being a tough and skilled fighter who consistently delivers exciting performances in the octagon. While it remains to be seen when he will next step into the cage, fans and analysts alike are eagerly anticipating Ige's next fight and are looking forward to seeing how he continues to develop and evolve as a fighter.
Brian Ortega replies to Ilia Topuria's call out
There appears to be growing tension between Brian Ortega, a former UFC featherweight title challenger, and Ilia Topuria, a rising star in the division who boasts an impressive undefeated record of 13 wins.
While Topuria has expressed a keen interest in facing Ortega, whom he considers to be one of the top fighters in the featherweight division, 'T City' has been dismissive of the idea of fighting a relatively untested opponent. In fact, he has made public statements suggesting that Topuria needs to prove himself before he can be considered a worthy challenger.
During a recent interview with combat sports reporter The Schmo, Ortega remarked:
"People like Ilia Topuria calling me out constantly, I see it now. I'll gladly humble some one if I have to and once they're on their way up to where I'm at then you can come and join me."
He further added:
"But you can't use your mouth to come up here you know. This is the fighting world can only do so much with the mouth and this time is you're gonna have to fight."
Check out the entire conversation below:
Brian Ortega isn’t too worried about @Topuriailia 👀 https://t.co/rMAvXPCDI1