Tag: Brian Ortega

Dan Ige feels confident after Diego Lopes ‘made it look easy’ vs. Brian Ortega at UFC 306

Watching Diego Lopes dominate Brian Ortega gave Dan Ige a better gauge of where he stands in the UFC featherweight division.

Watching [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] dominate [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] gave [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] a better gauge of where he stands in the UFC featherweight division.

Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) battered former title challenger Ortega this past Saturday at UFC 306 to emerge as a title contender. Prior to that, Lopes was tested in a unanimous decision win over Ige, who stepped in on just hours’ notice at UFC 303 in June.

“I thought he made it look easy,” Ige told Middle Easy on Lopes’ win over Ortega. “Nothing’s easy, but the way he went out there, he hurt Brian early. Anyone could say, ‘Yeah, he could’ve finished him,’ but he took a risk. I think he wanted to make a point. I think he wanted to try to submit him just to prove a point.

“But that cost him and then he had to go through a three-round fight. But, for the most part, he dominated. He looked really good in every aspect of the standup and the grappling, and, yeah, he’s a hard hitter, man. I felt his power when I was in there with him.”

Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) will look to rebound when he meets undefeated rising contender Lerone Murphy (14-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. Although he’s coming off a loss to Lopes, he takes solace in knowing he can compete well with the top contenders in the division.

“But if anything, it just gives me more confidence,” Ige said of Lopes. “He’s No. 3 now and to be able to fight a guy like that on short notice, literally three hours’ notice and not actually game plan for someone like that and still have moments in the fight, it just gives me confidence in anything else.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Brian Ortega reacts to UFC 306 loss: ‘I’ve got to make some moves to get better’

A swollen Brian Ortega speaks about his UFC 306 loss for the first time.

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] had a rough outing at UFC 306. Four days later, he’s already thinking about what he can change to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

“Face is a little bit swollen, lip is a little bit swollen,” Ortega said as he showed off his battle wounds in a recently posted Instagram story. “Obviously, the eye was crying for a bit, but it is what it is. I’ll be crying blood for a bit. Leg is swollen. I’m putting some cream on it.”

Physical wounds aside, Ortega said he’s spent time pondering how his unanimous decision loss to Diego Lopes at Sphere in Las Vegas played out. As his body heals, Ortega continues to work through planning how to go about things differently for his next outing.

“We’re good mentally, physically,” Ortega said. “Nothing is broken. Like I said, the prayer for me was just get me out of this fight without any surgery or things like that. We’re doing good. I did have some time to reflect obviously. I’ve got to make some moves to get better. That’s it. But I’m very thankful for you guys. The amount of love and support and messages. Thank you, guys – for real. To guys like me, it means a lot.”

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Ortega, 33, falls to 1-3 in his most recent four outings after a 15-1 start to his professional career. He’s challenged for UFC gold on two occasions, coming up short against Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski. Ortega has teased a move to lightweight, so a new weight class could be in the cards for him.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 306 gets new champs at Sphere, Chandler gives up on McGregor, Jones-Miocic, more

On this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses the results from UFC 306, the latest with Conor McGregor and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC 306 is in the books, and both headlining champions lost their titles. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] lost dominant unanimous decisions to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag], respectively. Beyond that, several fighters had breakthrough performances, including [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], who badly battered former two-time UFC title challenger [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]. We’ll unpack the UFC’s debut at Sphere and all the technical magic that came with it.
  • The main event for the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden in November was finally announced: a heavyweight title fight between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] was made official by the promotion. Accompanying Jones-Miocic at UFC 309, a lightweight bout pitting [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] against [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] was also announced. We break down both matchups and discuss what’s at stake.
  • Finally, with Chandler fighting Oliveira, this leaves the question: What is going to happen with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]? McGregor and Chandler were linked to fight for more than a year, and yet that fight never came to fruition, despite a failed booking and the two participating on last year’s season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” McGregor reacted to the news and said that he’s been ready, but feels he’s been kept “out of the loop.” What is going on? We discuss.

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UFC 306 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: O’Malley, Grasso net $42,000 for entering as champs

Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso got the biggest checks from the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program fro UFC 306, which paid $239,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 306 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $239,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 306 took place at Sphere. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 306 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ronaldo Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Manuel Torres[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ketlen Souza[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Edgar Chairez[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,721,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $28,458,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Diego Lopes def. Brian Ortega at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Diego Lopes’ unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today Sports)

UFC 306 results: Diego Lopes dominates Brian Ortega for fifth straight win

Diego Lopes was looking to make a statement in the featherweight division at UFC 306. Mission accomplished.

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] was looking to make a statement in the featherweight division. And while he didn’t get a finish, despite looking like he was close to one, he can consider UFC 306 mission accomplished.

Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) outworked former title challenger [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) for a dominant unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards, including a 30-26, on the UFC 306 main card at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Lopes had Ortega hurt in the first round and poured it on. But with an opportunity to let Ortega back to his feet, the Brazilian chose to keep the fight on the canvas, in large part. That gave Ortega a chance to survive the first round once his leash got a little longer from referee Jason Herzog.

But though Ortega kept himself in the fight and stayed largely out of imminent danger for the final 10 minutes, it was all Lopes for his fifth straight win to climb into contention in the UFC’s 145-pound division.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 306 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

UFC 306 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: Stars of Noche UFC shed final pounds before weigh-ins

In the sixth episode of UFC 306 “Embedded,” go behind the scenes as fighters prepare to hit the scale and faceoff at ceremonial weigh-ins.

The UFC is back in “Sin City” with UFC 306, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 306 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+), also known as Noche UFC in celebration of Mexican Independence Day, takes place Saturday at Sphere in Las Vegas.

In the main event, bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) goes for his second title defense against No. 1 contender [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC). The co-headliner will see a trilogy bout between women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] (16-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) and [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (23-4-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC), who fought to a majority draw in their rematch one year ago. Also on the card is a key featherweight bout between [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC).

The sixth and final episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Sean O’Malley and Brian Ortega cut weight; The athletes of UFC 306 step on the scales at the official weigh-ins; Ode Osbourne celebrates making weight with a hibachi lunch; All eyes are on Sphere for the UFC 306 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Previous UFC 306 ‘Embedded’ episodes

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 306

Will “a bit of a changing of the guard” take place between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes at UFC 306?

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 0-5
UFC main cards, 2024: 76-66-3

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes UFC 306 preview

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier might’ve hit the nail on the head when he said recently that Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) beating Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) would be “a bit of a changing of the guard” given where both fighters are at in their careers. … Ortega, 33, has struggled to be active since challenging for the featherweight title, going 2-3 in the past six years. He’s coming off a Performance of the Night submission win over Yair Rodriguez this past February. Ortega was slated to fight Lopes in June at UFC 303, but he was forced to pull out after a tough weight cut. … Lopes, 29, has made noise since joining the UFC last year, as he was named MMA Junkie’s Newcomer of the Year for 2023. He’s on a four-fight winning streak, including a decision win over Dan Ige, who took the fight at UFC 303 on just a few hours’ notice following Ortega’s withdrawal.

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes UFC 306 expert pick, prediction

These two were initially booked back at UFC 303 until health issues post-weight cut forced Ortega to withdraw, which, in turn, set up a memorable last-minute booking between Lopes and Dan Ige.

Although Ortega and Lopes have much closer to a full camp this time around, it’s still hard to be confident in the health status of either combatant considering the quick nature of this turnaround and the context surrounding this can’t-miss, once-in-a-lifetime event.

For that reason, I almost find myself leaning into things like age and durability given the x-factors that quietly loom large.

Ortega is the more proven product on paper when it comes to everything from his skills to his experience, but Lopes still possesses some stylistic edges (that I further outline in the in-depth breakdown I put out for this fight back in June) that could come in handy for this fight.

Whether Lopes is countering Ortega’s kicks or taxing him with straight shots down the center, I suspect that the Lobo Gym representative will be able to pile on to the existing damage that “T-City” accrued over his career.

I’ll stick with my initial forecast for Lopes to produce a stoppage via strikes in Round 2.

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes UFC 306 odds

The oddsmakers and public are favoring the younger fighter, listing Lopes (-188) and Ortega (+146) via FanDuel.

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes UFC 306 start time, how to watch

As the featured bout on the main card, Ortega and Lopes are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. locally in Las Vegas). The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

UFC 306: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 306 odds between Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round featherweight bout on the main card, Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes meet Saturday at UFC 306 – Riyadh Season Noche UFC at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 306: Ortega vs. Lopes odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.

Records: Ortega (16-3-0) | Lopes (25-6-0)

These 2 fighters were supposed to square off at UFC 303, but while preparing to move up to lightweight, Ortega couldn’t make the cut and the fight was scrapped after it had already started. Instead, Lopes met Dan Ige and won in an epic bout.

Ortega opened his UFC career with a no contest against Mike de la Torre July 26, 2014. It’s been a roller-coaster ride of a decade, as he ripped off 6 straight wins since that no contest, including a 1st-round KO/TKO of Frankie Edgar at UFC 222.

He lost a title bout to Max Holloway at UFC 231 in a TKO – Doctor’s Stoppage, while also falling to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 in the main event. He was knocked out in the 1st round against Yair Rodriguez in the main event July 2022, but bounced back with a 3rd-round submission win against Rodriguez last time out.

Lopes has picked up 4 consecutive victories since a unanimous-decision loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 in his company debut. He has 3 finishes, including a submission and 2 KO/TKOs, with a unanimous-decision win over Ige at UFC 303.

Lopes enters with a 3.5-inch reach advantage, while Ortega holds a slight 4.07-to-3.24 significant strikes landed per minute lead. Lopes is far more accurate, though, landing 62.54% of those strikes, to just 40.39% for the veteran Ortega. Lopez has a 3.68 submission average, too, so it would behoove Ortega not to go to the mat with this guy.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 306: Ortega vs. Lopes odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:35 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Ortega +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Lopes -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -125 | Under -105)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +100 | No -135)

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UFC 306: Ortega vs. Lopes picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Lopes (-200) will cost you 2 times your potential return, and that’s just a little too expensive against a wily veteran like Ortega.

If you want action on this fight, roll with LOPES BY TKO/KO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+150) on the 5-way line for a chance to multiply up. If you want to cut out the submission, betting LOPES BY TKO/KO OR DQ (+250) on the 7-way line can help you make 2½ times your initial wager.

Over/Under (O/U)

NO (-135): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a strong play, as we’re looking for a victory by Lopes via knockout. In fact, playing UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-105) is a little cheaper, and it isn’t a bad wager, either.

Ortega has been the distance just twice in his 12 fights at the UFC level, and one of those came in a title bout. For Lopes, he has been the distance just twice in the past 7 fights, so going Under is a good play.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Brian Ortega not sure UFC 306 win over Diego Lopes gets title shot, but loves ‘badass fights that everyone will like’

Brian Ortega won’t hold his breath for a UFC title shot should he beat Diego Lopes at Saturday’s UFC 306.

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] doesn’t see a ton of upside in his fight against [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], at least likely not enough to get him another UFC title shot.

Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), a two-time UFC title challenger at featherweight, returns Saturday on the main card of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. He takes on Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a rising star in the division who’s become one of the hottest names in the sport. “T-City” thinks a win for Lopes will likely get him a crack at the belt, but he’s not so confident the same is in play if he wins.

“We’ll see … we’ll see,” Ortega told MMA Junkie in Spanish when asked if he expects a title shot win a win on Saturday. “The UFC has its own opinions on his ranking, and I think this fight has more of an upside for him than for me.

“If he beats me, they’ll say he’s the next big thing and will be going for the title and all that. I’ve obviously fought for the title twice already, and I wasn’t able to win, so that changes things with the UFC.”

So why did Ortega take the fight to begin with? The two were scheduled to meet on short notice at UFC 303 in June, but hours away from the event, Ortega was forced to pull out due to illness. Lopes ended up fighting and defeating Dan Ige on hour’s notice.

It was a big tease for the MMA world, and once Ortega saw the hype around the fight along with the disappointment of it falling through, he bought more into the idea.

“If you look at it like a business, not, ‘Oh I just fight against anyone,’ it doesn’t make sense for your career,” Ortega said. “You should be fighting upwards, not downwards. This fight wasn’t in my mind, but we saw what happened: Two fighters got injured, we stepped in, and I couldn’t fight. Now, after that, the talk started, and I even began telling myself, ‘You know what, this is not that bad of an idea now that all of this happened.’ I’ve been seeing the comments and this is a very popular fight everyone wants to see.

“At the end of the day, this might not be what’s best for business, but this is why I got into the sport – to have badass fights that everyone will like. Who doesn’t want to fight without the talk and all the bullsh*t? We’re just fighting, and that’s it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.