On the outside it looked like Brian Ortega had it all He’s got some otherworldly talent and could do things in the cage that other fighters could never dream of accomplishing
He had a history of rags to riches that belonged to Hollywood, and he became buddies with some of the best in the film industry, most notably actress Halle Berry
He racked up one-sided victories over some of the best oppositions the UFC had to offer and had a relationship with his coach, James Luhrsen, which seemed idyllic It was a storybook enough for a company to beer has built a major advertising campaign around it
Things, however, aren’t always as they looked And as Ortega prepares to fight Chan Sung Jung, aka « The Korean Zombie, » on Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Abu Dhabi, life is far from where she was the last time we saw Ortega in the cage
It was December 8, 2018, at UFC 231 in Toronto, where Ortega was stopped by Max Holloway after four one-sided rounds in a featherweight championship bid that Ortega lost was no shock ; Holloway was then and remains today one of the elite fighters in the world.Most astonishing was how one-sided the combat was
Ortega entered the fight 14-0 and had some quality wins over Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson, Renato Moicano and Clay Guida He was, in many ways, the MMA version of boxer Oscar De La Hoya De La Hoya won gold at the 1992 Olympics and went on to become one of boxing’s biggest stars, her eye-catching talent for fighting fans and her good looks appealing to women who were not so interested in fighting.
Ortega had that kind of talent and that kind of look He was about to be a celebrity and a win over Holloway would have had him everywhere
Almost two years later he’s back, not so keen on talking about the past but not so stunned by the issues he faced in the title fight He said he knew he had problems in his camp for some time and that things weren’t settled
When a reporter mentioned Luhrsen’s name, Ortega quickly said, “You said his name; I did not « He had made it clear that he did not want to discuss the problems of his past
“I don’t really want to go into great detail about this,” he said “I’m not in the business of making someone look bad or denigrating them But there was behavior and things that were said and things that were done after the fight that made me officially realize where everyone really was; [and] what their intentions were «
So he now trains at the Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center alongside ex-UFC champion TJ Dillashaw, Swanson and Juan Archuleta
He has extensively praised teaching methods and attention to detail But it’s more than improving your physical abilities, Ortega said
“I had a lot of mental growth to do it all in a healthy way,” said Ortega “Before everything was very unhealthy and very toxic Things are now a lot smoother, a lot healthier and a lot easier and I can’t say anything else but it’s the best option «
He said he thought there had been a significant improvement in his skills and « of course, no crazy drama like before »
And there is, he says, a five-year plan, which looks like the general manager of an oppressed NFL team embarking on an ambitious rebuild
It was something of an astonishing statement in the sport where almost all fighters would utter the phrase, « I’m just focusing on this fight, » at least a dozen times by public appearance before a fight
« We’re all here to do our jobs and if we win, we win and if we lose, we lose, but whatever it is we’re going to get back to work and keep going. We have a five year plan and we work here now I am delighted to be working for five years and there is a whole plan for me, my body and my career
« That’s all [that’s in the plan]: the things you want to accomplish Things that can happen, things that can’t happen and things that are likely to happen You take it all and you take these scientists fools and these geniuses [swear] here to work with me and you come up with a plan you’re working on «
The fight with the Zombies is among the best of the year and has the potential to lead the winner to a shot at champion Alexander Volkanovski, although there is no guarantee that it will. p>
But when that bell rings on Fight Island on Saturday, it will mark the official end of the past and whatever problems Ortega felt the need to leave behind
« I never knew this was what it could look like, » he said « And when I think about what’s possible for me now, man, I’m gonna tell you that I don’t can’t wait I smile just thinking about it «
Brian Ortega, Mixed Martial Arts, Max Holloway, Chan Sung Jung
News from the world – CA – Brian Ortega has a 5-year plan after abandoning the toxicity of his former camp
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
