American MMA fighter Brian Ortega came back to the Octagon as a new human. The last time he fought was in July 2022. He faced Yair Rodriguez and suffered a dislocated shoulder that rendered him unable to continue. Over a year later, Ortega made a comeback to the Octagon during UFC Mexico, or UFC Fight Night 237, in a rematch against Rodriguez. Ortega made no mistakes this time as he pulled off an impressive submission victory.
T-City has repeatedly claimed that he is a new man now. From the pre-fight press conferences to the post-fight ones, he has explained the importance of leaving behind the things that pull you down. During a post-fight interview, he was asked about “rebirth” – a notion he touched upon during the pre-fight press conference referring to an eagle.
Ortega responded with what rebirth meant to him. He said, “The rebirth, it’s basically a man or individual, human having to come face to face with themselves in the mirror, and really change all the bad things about you that in the long run will break you.”
Further, he opened up about how his family knew the tough times he was going through. He said, “My family knows all the things that I went through and it was hard.”
Ortega also revealed advice from his father that stuck with him. It helped him overcome the difficulties in his life to become a better father and a better husband. He went to “war” with himself and changed a lot of things that he did not want to.
Brian Ortega went through four surgeries and suffered multiple setbacks before returning at UFC Mexico
Ortega’s post-fight interview consisted of a lot about his journey back to the Octagon. After suffering his brutal injury, Ortega went through four surgeries in under a year. He opened up about the betrayal and loss of friends he suffered during this time.
Brian Ortega details his “rebirth” before Saturday’s #UFCMexico return 🦅 pic.twitter.com/IUi3bbCZ28
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) February 21, 2024
However, he also revealed the importance of his support system. His coaches and his family were there for him all along.
Ortega said, “It was rough man. It was rough. One thing that I do want to say [is] shout out to Henry, Richard, you know, Stephanie my wife, all these people. When I was I was down and out bro like I was isolated. I isolated myself I don’t want to see anyone. I stay locked up in my room ordering door dash every day… I’ve never cried so much [in front] of so many people. That happened, you know, just like that and it was a struggle not going to lie.”
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T-City also revealed that he was unable to do a single pull-up when his fight camp started. He made an extraordinary turnaround to pull off a strong victory against Rodriguez at UFC Mexico. He made the Mexican fighter tap out in the third round.
