Brian Ortega wasn’t made available for post-fight comments this past weekend at UFC 231 in Toronto because he was transported to the hospital immediately following his war with featherweight champion Max Holloway.
Ortega revealed in an Instagram post late Sunday that he sustained a broken nose and broken thumb as he was battered by Holloway in a classic title fight before doctors called a stop to the action prior to the fifth and final round.
“Doctor stopped it and I agree,” Ortega wrote.
Holloway landed a UFC single-fight record 290 significant strikes with Ortega’s head absorbing 244 of them. It was the first loss of Ortega’s mixed martial arts career.
“I was willing to die in there,” he added.
UFC president Dana White told reporters at Scotiabank Arena he was “blown away” by Ortega’s durability and heart but also agreed it was a good stoppage.
“That fifth round should never have happened and I’m glad it didn’t,” White said. “The fight needed to be stopped. For all of us in here that have been in the fight game for a long time, that’s what you call too tough for your own good. I believe he could have done the fifth round. I believe he would have done the fifth round. But it should have never happened.”
Ortega’s longtime jiu-jitsu coach Rener Gracie posted a backstage photo of Ortega with a message to his fighter that summed up how many who watched the fight felt.
“When we arrived at the hospital, the first thing you said was ‘I’m sorry.’ My brother, you have nothing to be sorry about,” Gracie wrote. “You came from nothing and you competed on the highest level against one of the best [pound-for-pound] fighters in the world. For four rounds, you took his best shots, but you never went down and you never stopped firing back. The heart you displayed last night could never be taught, and I’ve never been so proud to be your coach, your friend and your fan. You didn’t fail, Max prevailed. And if it was ever possible to win in defeat, you did it last night.”
Holloway landed an astounding 134 significant strikes in the fourth round alone.
“He’s a young talented guy and I think going into that fifth round would have been very bad for him health-wise,” White said of Ortega. “The fourth round wasn’t good for him health-wise.”
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