Tag: Brian Ortega

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.

UFC 306 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Brian Ortega tests out new hyperbaric oxygen chamber

In the fifth episode of UFC 306 “Embedded,” go behind the scenes as Brian Ortega trains in the UFC Apex’s new hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

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 fifth 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:

The stars of UFC 306 make their rounds with the Media; Brian Ortega uses a hyperbaric oxygen chamber; Champ Sean O’Malley gets has a striking session; Athletes get dressed for the UFC 306 Press Conference; All eyes are on the Sphere in Las Vegas as all the fighters for UFC 306 gather for the Press Conference.

Previous UFC 306 ‘Embedded’ episodes

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

UFC 306 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Merab Dvalishvili corners teammate at Dana White’s Contender Series

In the fourth episode of UFC 306 “Embedded,” go behind the scenes as Merab Dvalishvili corners a Dana White’s Contender Series fighter.

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 fourth 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 flies private into Las Vegas; Check-ins for UFC 306 continue; Merab Dvalishvili corners a teammate for Dana White’s Contender Series and has an evening training session; Daniel Zellhuber has a reunion with his parents.

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 threw stupidity to the curb (again) before UFC 306 at Sphere

Brian Ortega admits he hasn’t been perfect – but has grown as a person and a fighter ahead of UFC 306 at Sphere.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] admits he hasn’t been perfect.

Sometimes, the shortcomings have been outside his control – like when his body shut down prior to UFC 303 in June leading to a fight day cancellation.

Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) admits he wasn’t himself during the lead-up and apologized for his behavior. He recounted coming to terms with the sequence of events while watching his scheduled opponent Diego Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) beat last-minute replacement Dan Ige.

“I was laying in bed and watched his fight and was like, ‘Damn. That should’ve been me.’ But then I also thought, like, ‘Well, you know, come on, bro. If it had been you that night, you probably wouldn’t have won the way you were feeling. Let’s just be honest.’ It was a bittersweet moment knowing that I was there, almost made the weight, we went through what we went through and I didn’t really want to pull out. You have to make a choice. We made peace with it. That was it. But I had those feelings of, we could’ve got this done with and moved on to the next.”

“… I felt bad. It’s like, bro. Look at everything we went through in two weeks and I’m the one that pulls out. I was hard on myself for it, even given the circumstances of being sick. But then to see him that he’s actually got a fight, I’m like, ‘Let’s go. Cool. You still get to make your money. You get to earn your stuff.’ The only question mark was, ‘What if he loses tonight?’ That means the story ends here because that’s it.”

But Lopes didn’t lose. He won a decision, and now the two fighters are aligned again, this time for Saturday at UFC 306 at Sphere.

“This one feels way different – way different,” Ortega said.

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Fight fans have seen Ortega not only mature as a fighter, but as a person during the span of decade-long UFC tenure. Fighting pulled Ortega out of a troubled lifestyle. While personal advancement hasn’t been linear, Ortega has indicated he’s advanced in the proper direction.

“The new version of myself is someone who is actually taking his job seriously,” Ortega said. “… After the Max loss, that was the first time we decided to take it serious. Then, I won (against) ‘Zombie’ and I kind of decided just to be stupid again. It’s something that’s hard to shake out there, my lifestyle. After that, after failing recently and hitting rock bottom, that’s when I decided to say, ‘You know what, bro? Stop self-sabotaging yourself because you’re afraid of what you can become.’ I was more happy to be part of the party. I wasn’t supposed to be here. That was always my mentality.

“We weren’t even supposed to be getting these checks. We were probably supposed to be in jail or doing something else. The fact that we’re here is just go for the ride. But now it’s different. Now, I take everything seriously. I just eat and breathe this. Even off-season, I’m training twice a day and I’m coaching some of these guys through what I’m learning as well. We’re just moving, man – nonstop.”

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

UFC 306 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: Sean O’Malley spends quality time with his daughter

In the third installment of UFC 306 “Embedded,” Sean O’Malley savors time with his daughter before fight week kicks into high gear.

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 third 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 gives a peek into his life as a girl dad, while Daniel Zellhuber embraces his Mexican heritage in the boxing gym, and Merab Dvalishvili has a late outdoor workout. Check-in day then begins with Raul Rosas, Jr. declaring, “Chiwiwi” and Brian Ortega and Ode Osborne making their rounds, before Valentina fits in a training session ahead of her Flyweight title fight.

Previous UFC 306 ‘Embedded’ episodes

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

Daniel Cormier: Brian Ortega losing to Diego Lopes at UFC 306 would be ‘a bit of a changing of the guard’

Daniel Cormier sees UFC 306 as a must-win for Brian Ortega if he wants to remain in title contention.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] sees UFC 306 as a must-win for [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] if he wants to remain in title contention.

Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) meets rising star [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) on Saturday’s Noche UFC (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main card at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Ortega, a former two-time UFC featherweight title challenger, had his back against the wall heading into his rematch with Yair Rodriguez in February. However, Ortega was able to return from injury and avenge that loss by submitting Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 237, snapping his two-fight losing skid.

“I think this fight is going to be very telling as to where Brian Ortega is in his career,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “If you can’t beat these young up-and-comers, it becomes difficult to stay where you’ve lived your entire career. Ortega has lived at the top of the card for as long as we can remember. If he loses to a guy like Lopes, a guy who’s on a run, a guy who’s making his way to the top of the division, it becomes a bit of a changing of the guard.

“But I think that happened in Mexico City. Brian Ortega was supposed to go lose to Yair Rodriguez. He got the job done, and he looked very impressive in doing so. So this is a massive opportunity because with a new champion in Ilia Topuria fighting Max Holloway, Ortega wins this fight, he’s going be right on the shortlist of guys that can compete for the belt.”

According to DraftKings, Ortega is a +142 underdog against Lopes, who’s a -170 favorite. Ortega opened up as a -125 favorite over Lopes for their initially scheduled bout at UFC 303 in July before he withdrew due to illness. Lopes faced four-hour notice replacement Dan Ige instead, defeating him by unanimous decision.

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

UFC 306 ‘Embedded,’ No. 2: Sean O’Malley transforms into ‘the Suga Show’

In the second episode of UFC 306 “Embedded,” Sean O’Malley heads to the salon for his customary fight-week do.

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 first 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:

Merab Dvalishvili watches UFC Fight Night and continues his camp; Champ Sean O’Malley trains and colors his hair; Diego Lopes grapples; Daniel Zellhuber hits some golf balls; Brian Ortega arrives in Las Vegas and plays video games.

Previous UFC 306 ‘Embedded’ episodes

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

UFC 306 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: Diego Lopes gets a warm sendoff from his team

In the first episode of UFC 306 “Embedded,” Diego Lopes shares his appreciation with his team and feels the love in return.

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 first 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:

Mexican stars of UFC 306 hold open workouts; Champ Sean O’Malley checks out some restaurants; Brian Ortega winds down his camp; Merab Dvalishvili has lunch with his coach; Raul Rosas Jr. dances; Valentina Shevchenko goes antiquing; Diego Lopes trains.

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

Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes rebooked for Noche UFC at Sphere

Initially slated for UFC 303, the promotion will attempt to run things back between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes at Sphere in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] are aligned again.

Less than one month after their UFC 303 fight fell apart on fight day, the promotion announced a new date and location for the matchup. Barring more unforeseen circumstances, Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) will collide Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas, as part of Noche UFC (UFC 306).

UFC CEO Dana White announced the booking Friday on social media.

The first attempt to make this fight happen failed when Ortega fell ill hours before the fight. Ortega had also struggled to make featherweight ahead of the bout, so it had been tweaked to lightweight instead.

In an unprecedented move, Las Vegas resident Dan Ige fought in his place vs. Lopes after a special weigh-in. Lopes defeated Ige by unanimous decision.

The victory was Lopes’ fourth in a row. He also holds UFC victories over Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini and Sodiq Yusuff.

Ortega looks to extend a standalone victory over Yair Rodriguez into a winning streak. Prior to the cancellation vs. Lopes, Ortega told MMA Junkie he was preparing for a shift to lightweight.

With the addition, the Noche UFC lineup includes:

  • Champ Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili – for bantamweight title
  • Champ Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko – for women’s flyweight title
  • Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
  • Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Ode Osbourne vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez
  • Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
  • Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
  • Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
  • Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez
  • Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng

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