Brandon Moreno is fighting to regain the flyweight title.
Yair Rodríguez is here to make a claim for the featherweight championship.
But Brian Ortega is competing against an altogether different opponent: himself.
Ortega, who has not won a fight since 2020, returns tonight to fight Rodríguez in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night in Mexico City. This is a rematch from July of 2022, a bout that Rodríguez won by TKO after a should injury in the first round prevented Ortega (15-3, 1 NC) from continuing the fight.
Since that defeat, Ortega has focused on himself. And the battle has not been pleasant.
“This time off, for the first time in my life, it made me face myself. And I had to do it in a way I didn’t want to do. I had to really dive deep into my personal life, and I saw how much I messed things up living the way I was living.”
Ortega (15-3, 1 NC) will have his hands full with Rodríguez, who is seeking to work his way back into title contention after losing last summer to Alexander Volkanovski. Yet the stakes are different for Ortega.
“Funeral after funeral, surgery after surgery, I wanted to get to the root [of my problems],” said Ortega. “I’d been avoiding these things so long, so it was hard. There was a lot of reflection. I was reckless with people. I had to face everything I ever did. But instead of running from it, I went to war with it.
“I want to keep pushing forward and be the man and protector for my family I should be. It’s time to go out there and find my purpose.”
Whenever a fighter has even an ounce of distraction from a fight, there is the chance for disaster. Rodríguez (19-4, 1 NC) will be looking to catch Ortega with a shot that ends his night.
“Things didn’t go the way I wanted [against Volk],” said Rodríguez. “That’s the sport. I’m in a different spot mentally now. I’m more relaxed. I’m ready to take action. I don’t think Brian is ready for what I’m going to bring at him.
“I won’t overlook him. I know he’s tough. He gave Alexander Volkanovski a great fight. But I know what I have to do to win.”
Finally, there is Moreno. The former two-time flyweight champ wants a three-peat, but he will have to beat Royval for those wheels to be put in motion.
Moreno (21-7-2) has already lost twice to Alexandre Pantoja, who is the reigning champ. Only one of those losses was a title bout, so there is a chance he gets a third crack at Pantoja, especially since their fights have been very competitive.
“My only focus is what is in front of me,” said Moreno. “The end goal is to get my title back, but I’m focused only on Brandon Royval.”
Pantoja defeated Royval in December, so this is a must-win for Moreno.
“With or without the title, my mentality is to fix my mistakes and win the next one,” said Moreno. “Right now, I’m not a champion, and I understand that. I’m going the victory here, and then I’ll focus on the next step.”
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