It was a triumphant return to the Octagon in more ways than one for Brian Ortega.
Not only did “T-City” avenge a previous loss to Yair Rodriguez in the UFC Fight Night 237 co-main event, but he pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process. After being dropped and nearly finished in the opening stanza, Ortega rallied to impose his will, ultimately eliciting a tapout from his opponent with an arm-triangle choke 58 seconds into Round 3. It was Ortega’s first appearance since July 2022, when a shoulder injury prematurely ended his first meeting with Rodriguez.
Elsewhere, Daniel Zellhuber and Francisco Prado garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their featured lightweight scrap. Prado’s aggression helped him get off to a strong start, but the rangy Zellhuber bloodied his opponent with strikes and got stronger as the bout progressed to ultimately earn a unanimous decision triumph.
Finally, Manuel Torres received the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check by virtue of his 14th career first-round finish against Chris Duncan in a lightweight pairing. After some early exchanges on the feet, Torres found his way to his adversary’s back and elicited a tapout at the 1:46 mark of Round 1.
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