Although Conor McGregor pulled out of UFC 303, the promotion was quick to put together a few interesting fights for fans who had already bought the PPV. Chief among them is the return of featherweight Brian Ortega, who is taking on Diego Lopes in the co-main event. Ahead of the fight, Ortega revealed a philanthropic goal as the main reason why he accepted the fight against Lopes in the first place.
The former 145-pound title challenger joined Mike Bohn for an interview hosted by ‘MMA Junkie.’ It did not take long for the conversation to turn to UFC 303, and surprisingly, Ortega stated that he was fighting for a bigger cause. Bohn then asked Ortega if he would be willing to share what the bigger cause was to which ‘T-City’ replied saying,
“You know we’re fighters and not only that but I am fighting for a bigger cause this time. That is kind of what fuelled me on this fight. To help a lot of men bro, I am going to use the money and I am going to give it to church and I am going to help a lot of men. Uh, $100,000. It is basically the main reason why I accepted the fight. Yeah, it was my passion.”
The former title challenger went on to state that he recently attended an event called the ‘man camp’. This event inspired him to raise money to donate to the Fearless Church in Los Angeles. Ortega spoke about the impact ‘Man Camp’ had on him and therefore wants other men to have the same experience. This is why he will be donating a whopping $100,000 towards the cause.
Well, with a noble cause on the line, Ortega appears ready to show Lopes who the king is!
A closer look at T-City’s return to the Octagon
Unfortunately, 2023 wasn’t a year to remember for Ortega as he lost consecutive fights against Alexander Volkanovksi and Yair Rodriguez. This was the first time in his career that the MMA artist suffered consecutive losses, but he turned it around and secured a win in February 2024 against Yair Rodriguez.
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While ‘T-City’ will want to continue the win streak against Diego Lopes. it will be easier said than done as the latter is currently on a three-fight win streak. To make it even more impressive, all three of those fights have ended in finishes. Therefore, Ortega will have his work cut out for him, as the winner will take a huge step forward in making a case for a shot at the title at 145 pounds.
