Brian Ortega

Overview

Five of Brian Ortega's eight UFC wins ended in the third round, and four of the five came by submission. This is a featherweight who finishes late, not early.

He is 8-5 in the UFC with one no contest, and his 16-5-0 professional record covers all promotions. The UFC mark is the one that counts here. Seven of the eight wins are finishes: three by KO/TKO, four by submission. Only one went to the scorecards.

Ortega is not a champion, and his run has two halves: a six-fight win streak that put him in main events, and a stretch of losses that followed.

UFC Career

Ortega debuted in July 2014 against Mike de la Torre at UFC on FOX: Lawler vs Brown. The fight ended in round 1 at 1:39 and was later overturned to a no contest.

The win streak started in June 2015 with a third-round TKO of Thiago Tavares, then a third-round submission of Diego Brandao and a third-round TKO of Clay Guida. Renato Moicano fell to a third-round submission at UFC 214. In December 2017 Ortega headlined against Cub Swanson, a "strong" opponent by our model, and submitted him in round 2. Then came Frankie Edgar, an elite opponent, stopped in round 1 at 4:44. Six straight.

It ended against Max Holloway at UFC 231, a five-round main event. Ortega lost by TKO at the end of round 4, 5:00 into the frame.

After that he beat Chan Sung Jung by unanimous decision over five rounds, then lost another five-rounder to Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision. Yair Rodriguez stopped him in round 1 in a July 2022 main event. Ortega answered in February 2024 with a third-round submission of Rodriguez at 0:58.

Two more losses followed: a unanimous decision to Diego Lopes and a five-round unanimous decision to Aljamain Sterling, another elite opponent. He carries a two-fight losing streak into his next fight.

Three of his five losses went the distance. The wins mostly didn't.

Fighting Style

Ortega is a busy striker who lands often but also gets hit often, and his accuracy runs below the UFC average. His striking defense and takedown defense sit around that same average.

His standout trait is the hunt for submissions. He attempts them far more than most fighters in the UFC. He rarely shoots for takedowns, so those attempts come from scrambles rather than a wrestling-first plan.

The finishing pattern fits that. Seven of his eight UFC wins came by stoppage: four by submission and three by KO or TKO. Five of those finishes came in round 3, one in round 2, and only one in round 1. He tends to build a fight and close it late. When he doesn't finish, the record shows the cost: three of his five losses were decisions.

Notable Wins

• Frankie Edgar — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC 222 (2018)
• Cub Swanson — submission, round 2, UFC Fight Night headliner (2017)
• Yair Rodriguez — submission, round 3, UFC Fight Night (2024)
• Chan Sung Jung — unanimous decision, five-round main event (2020)

Quick Facts

• Division: Featherweight
• UFC record: 8-5, 1 no contest
• Professional record (all promotions): 16-5-0
• UFC debut: 2014
• Stance: Switch
• Reach: 69"
• Team: Team Ortega
• Born: Carson, CA, United States