Can Brian Ortega Become A Contender At Lightweight?

At featherweight, Ortega was considered a dangerous boogeyman. Possessing a deadly mix of pinpoint striking and creative grappling, he finished seven straight fights in the Octagon on his way to a title shot. His highest-profile victim was lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who was stopped for the first time in his career.

Ortega showed determination against Max Holloway, but his lack of composure cost him, and the doctor stopped the fight after four rounds. He beat Chan-sung Jung to earn another title shot, but fell short against Alexander Volkanovski, seemingly consigning him to gatekeeper status. Eventually, that notion was seemingly confirmed with consecutive losses to Diego Lopes and Aljamain Sterling – the latter coming after an eight-pound miss.

Beginning By Revisiting

At 34 years of age and with the weight cut working against him, Ortega has a decent first assignment in his new division. Like him, Moicano had initially established himself as a featherweight to watch, but consecutive knockout losses to Jose Aldo and Jung made him go ten pounds north. Since then, he became a fun action fighter, even stepping up on a day’s notice to challenge Islam Makhachev after Arman Tsarukyan’s withdrawal.

That title shot did not end well for Moicano, however, and a further loss to Beneil Dariush now has him hanging on to his divisional relevance. If Ortega can beat him, that makes him a person of interest in a division that faces much uncertainty amid Ilia Topuria’s troubles outside the cage.

End Of My Brian Ortega Rant

There have been many examples of fighters moving up a division and finding much success. Ex-featherweights who go to lightweight provide a plethora of examples, like Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, and Charles Oliveira.

Now, Ortega looks to become the newest member of that esteemed circle, and his first step will take him back in time. Who knows how he will fare, but one thing will be clear: one should expect a healthier and happier version of him.