Brian Ortega to Donate Part of UFC 303 Fight Purse to LA Church
Kosport Magazine presents: Brian Ortega is gearing up for his final featherweight fight in the UFC as he prepares to take on rising star Diego Lopes in the co-main event at UFC 303 this weekend.
Neither Brian Ortega nor Diego Lopes were initially scheduled for UFC’s highly anticipated International Fight Week card, but the promotion made a last-minute addition when they learned of Conor McGregor’s withdrawal a few weeks ago.
Ortega’s last fight took place in February against former title contender Yair Rodriguez, earning a victory by submission in the third round of their rematch.
Meanwhile, Lopes has been rapidly climbing the ranks in the featherweight division, with a recent first-round knockout victory over Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 in April.
Speaking of knockout victories, Ortega secured his spot on the UFC 303 card after accepting a late notice call, despite having already been in talks to move up to lightweight for a fight at UFC 306 on September 14.
“I said yes to it, they said yes to it, and we all got excited,” Ortega told MMAJunkie. “That was kind of in the works. They told me that my weight class had no one really that they wanted me to fight, so I decided to move to 155(lbs).”
Ortega admits that he doesn’t see himself getting another title shot in the competitive featherweight division any time soon, which was another factor in his decision to move up to lightweight.
The 33-year-old has already fought for the featherweight title twice, losing both times. His most recent title attempt was against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 in 2021, and before that, a devastating loss to Max Holloway.
But despite accepting the late-notice featherweight fight, Ortega is still hopeful for his lightweight debut and is holding out for a potential fight at UFC 306.
Although he can’t reveal the name of the potential opponent, Ortega is determined to make the most of this opportunity and donate $100,000 of his fight purse to Fearless Church in LA.
“I’m fighting for a bigger cause this time,” Ortega explained. “To help a lot of men, I’m going to use the money and I’m going to give it to church and I’m going to help a lot of men.”
The 33-year-old has been open about his own struggles with mental health, and has credited his faith and attending church for turning his life around.
In addition to his upcoming UFC fight, Kosport Magazine highly recommends checking out our other sports articles on UFC bantamweight contender dominating a Combat Sambo tournament and Conor McGregor’s response to claims about his next opponent. Stay tuned for more sports news and updates from Kosport Magazine.
