Watch: When UFC president Dana White instructed Brian Ortega to go directly to the hospital after his war against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266
UFC president Dana White was apparently very concerned about Brian Ortega after his UFC 266 title clash with Alexander Volkanovski. The UFC boss was so worried that he instructed Ortega's team to take him to the hospital immediately after the official decision was announced.
Watch Dana White instructing Brian Ortega to go to the hospital:
Volkanovski and Ortega engaged in a spectacular war of attrition in their recent encounter. However, it was evident that Ortega got the worse of the exchanges; the damage was very noticeable on the challenger's face. In a YouTube video uploaded by the UFC, White was seen telling Ortega's corner:
"Incredible, man. What a war! What a f***ing war! Hey listen, when the winner is called – no matter who wins or f***ing loses – I want (Ortega) to walk right out of here and go right in the ambulance, right to the hospital. No stopping, no nothing. Take note."
After five rounds, Ortega's face was noticeably battered, with both of his eyes shut. He absorbed a total of 214 significant strikes throughout the 25 minutes of action.
Team 'T-City' obliged, but not before letting Ortega address his fans during the post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. The challenger praised Volkanovski and expressed his appreciation for his supporters before exiting the building.
Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega bury the hatchet
The rivalry between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega heated up in the days before their clash. The Aussie brought up Ortega's history with performance-enhancing drugs and called him out during the staredown.
The incident stoked flames into an already intense feud. Volkanovski and Ortega also served as opposing coaches for season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter before their bout. During their time together at TUF, Volkanovski and Ortega got into a few heated exchanges.
Still buzzin off Saturday's main event. What a fight by @AlexVolkanovski & @BrianTCity 👏 https://t.co/V7sirzbBZN
But once everything was said and done, both fighters had nothing but nice things to say to one another. Volkanovski approached Ortega after the fight, shook his hand and embraced him. Meanwhile, Ortega said he respects Volkanovski and that he deserves to be the champion.