What further sets Ortega apart, Patel said, is his drive to learn. “We see a lot of people who come in and talk big, but the truth is told in training, in sparring, and in heart…some people are naturally gifted, but when it comes to competition, it’s the ability to fight through things that you can’t teach.” “From day one, you could tell he was something special,” said Jitesh Patel, a Gracie Academy teacher. Within a few years, he was teaching classes at the Gracie Academy first, the kids, then the adults. “They’re in there, trying to choke each other out, and I’m just a kid, man.”īut he stuck with it there, and soon excelled. The kids class was too kiddy, and the only other option was the adult class, and that was scary,” Ortega remembered. Catching inspiration from the exploits of jiu-jitsu master Royce Gracie, Martin took Ortega to the nearby Gracie Academy. Within three years of starting kickboxing training, he was among the top kids in his school’s class. Ortega was a handful, his father said, but he was also a quick learner. “But he came here to give us a better life.” “Every Friday, he’d watch Solo Boxeo, have a few brews after working, and he’d tell me ‘I’d have been a world champion,’” Ortega remembered. His father’s family could barely afford shoes - boxing gloves were absolutely out of the question. “It was like the Third World, you know?” Ortega said. His father, he said, grew up poor - he spent his youth working for his grandfather. “He’s humble and quiet, but he’s got a reputation…he was a badass street fighter in his day.” “It’s because of who my dad was,” he said. Ortega said that he’s always had a chip on his shoulder. “I’d better start training this kid, because if he’s going to be doing that, it’s better he learn to defend himself.” “I saw him stepping to one of them, and I said ‘whoa, what’s going on?’” Martin recalled. He remembers watching as Brian played with the neighborhood kids, before a group of older, bigger kids began picking on them. But, since he couldn’t speak English when he arrived in the US, he began working in restaurants. Martin, now a chef for Marymount University, was an electrician in his native Hermosillo, Sonora.
His parents, Martin and Rose, emigrated from Mexico to the United States in 1984. Ortega’s fighting career began when he was just five years old, on the streets of San Pedro. “My dad’s humble and quiet, but he’s got a reputation…he was a badass street fighter in his day,” Brian Ortega said. That night, at The Forum in Inglewood, Ortega will put his undefeated record, and his ranking as UFC’s 12th-ranked 145 pound fighter on the line against 12 year octagon veteran Clay Guida.īrian Ortega, James Luhrsen and Martin Ortega talk at Black House MMA. On June 4, at UFC 199, Ortega will test his training in what might be the biggest match of his career, just miles away from his hometown. He’s got a second wind, and his heart is bigger than his brain - he’ll go all out.” “He’s got a switch,” his trainer, James Luhrsen said, smiling. As he flipped his attacker onto his back, Ortega landed a few shots to Khong’s ribs and took control, ending in perfect attacking position. Ortega shifted his hips, turned to his right and twisted Khong’s body. The two struggled for what felt like an eternity - really, about five seconds - when suddenly, the tide turned. “Come on Brian, fight through it!” Jitesh Patel, one of Ortega’s coaches, calls out. Ortega widened his base to block the initial takedown, hooking his left arm just under Khong’s right shoulder. Sensing an opportunity, Khong shot in toward Ortega’s legs for a takedown.Īn hour earlier, Ortega would have caught Khong in his first step and countered by dropping his weight on top of him in a heavy sprawl.īut he’s caught off-guard, just a hair too slow. He’s tired, and everyone watching him knows it.Ĭharlie Khong, an experienced wrestler and one of Ortega’s four rotating sparring partners that night, was relatively fresh. He’s breathing heavy, and his hands, normally near his chin, have dropped to his waist.
Tall and lanky, with his hair in a warrior’s top-knot, Ortega is drenched in sweat. But three minutes into his fifth and final round of sparring, in his first week of a grueling training camp, the rising mixed martial-arts star is looking worn down. Later on, 25-year-old Brian Ortega will look back at his first week of training camp as just another night of sharpening his blades. Brian ‘T-City’ Ortega, seen here in 2015, training at Black House MMA for the upcoming UFC 199 fight at The Forum.