Brian Ortega Confirms Title Shot Talks With Dana White Against Ilia Topuria After Shutting Down Yair Rodriguez at UFC Mexico

Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez went to an absolute war in the co-main event of UFC Mexico. In the end, Brian Ortega emerged victorious. After a hard-fought 2 rounds, Ortega managed to secure a submission victory early in the third round, staying true to his moniker of ‘Triangle City’ (‘T-City’).

This is the second time Ortega and Rodriguez have met inside the cage. The first time around, Rodriguez got the win over ‘T-City’ after the latter injured his shoulder in the very first round back in 2022. However, even though it looked like the results were about to be replicated in the first round, Ortega powered through. Now he has a conversation waiting for the UFC higher-ups.

Brian Ortega reigns supreme at UFC Mexico

Brian Ortega is now tied with Ricardo Lamas for the second-most finishes in UFC featherweight history at 7. His record is now at 16-3 with 8 submission victories. But it was not all smooth sailing as Ortega looked shaken in the very first round after Rodriguez landed a few good strikes and knocked him down.

However, in the second round, Ortega managed to cut Rodriguez below his eye, making him bleed like a river. In the end, Ortega got his infamous arm triangle choke tied in, forcing the ref to stop the fight as Rodriguez tapped out. Now, does he want the title next? Perhaps that’s what he has in mind.

Now, Brian Ortega has promised Dana White and Hunter Campbell a conversation about his future after the event. “I see the boss Dana right there. I see Hunter. We’ll talk later,” Ortega said. What plans does ‘T-City’ have in his mind?

When Rodriguez defeated Ortega the first time around, he secured an opportunity for himself to secure the interim title in Alexander Volkanovski‘s absence. Perhaps, now that ‘Volk’ is no longer champion and Ilia Topuria is looking for a fight, Ortega could get his name bumped up on the list too.

Will Ortega fight Topuria?

Ilia Topuria is eager to prove himself still. So far, the featherweight has given the UFC many brilliant fights defeating Volkanovski in his most recent one at UFC 298. Now, Topuria wants the promotion to go to Spain. However, who would be his first opponent defending the title?

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He’s already called out former featherweight champion Conor McGregor. The two could go up against one another in Spain, but a rematch between ‘El Matador’ and Volkanovski also seems like a legitimate option. But with Brian Ortega’s performance, no one can count him out either.

Ortega could not get the win against Volkanovski like Topuria did, but he was perhaps the one who came the closest to legitimately dethroning Volkanovski (remember how tight his guillotine was?). Not to mention that Ortega is younger than Volkanovski and more experienced than Topuria. If the two clashed, who would you bet your money on?

Also Read: Yair Rodriguez Losses: Who Has ‘El Pantera’ Lost to in His UFC Career?