Brian Ortega recently revealed the dark back story behind his now-iconic ‘Purge’ themed walk-out at UFC 266. ‘T-City’ will be taking on Diego Lopes in a short-notice bout at UFC 303 after the card saw multiple changes, including Conor McGregor’s withdrawal because of injury, leaving the MMA fandom in a daze. Ortega has also indicated that this might be his last fight in the featherweight division as he has now set his sights on a different weight class in the future.

However, during the UFC 303 press conference, Ortega stunned the fans and media when he revealed the personal experience that inspired his ‘Purge’-themed walk-out. In an honest confession, ‘T-City’ broke down how his neighbors irritated him to the point that he began fantasizing about what “if the Purge was real”!

Noisy neighbors led Brian Ortega to a ‘dark’ place

Brian Ortega’s inspiration for the walk-out stemmed from his experiences living in an apartment with very noisy neighbors. At the time, Ortega was training for his upcoming title clash against Alexander Volkanovski but his upstairs neighbors would continually be making a racket at all hours of the night.

Ortega revealed, “I was like, dude you guys go to sleep? What’s going on? Like come on now, I got a fight I got to train for. I got a world title, what are you guys doing? And then I was watching… I think it was some reels or something, The Purge song came on, right? And I started fantasizing, not the best thing, but if The Purge was real, the first thing I’m doing is I’m going upstairs.”

The 2013 dystopian horror film explores a future where the United States gets rid of all crime by enacting a one-night event annually that makes all criminal acts, including murder, legal for 12 hours. ‘T-City’ revealed that he even reached out to his landlord to address the noise issue, but his complaints seemed to make the situation worse. Despite the ongoing disturbances, he channeled his frustration into creativity.

Ortega went on to state, “I was just in my head like, dude, if the Purge was real, I’d go upstairs and just handle business. I would stay up all night and I’m like, dude the Purge, that song, I found a remix to it. And I was like, if I had the mask, what mask would I wear. Like if I was to commit these crimes, you know like, how would I approach their house? And that was the concept, be all hoodied up, with a lighted mask. And then I was like, dude, what if I walked out to this, wouldn’t that be dope?”

The final walkout involved a $5 mask and a carefully chosen remix of “The Purge” soundtrack, with his goal being to mess with the audience and “make everyone in the crowd scared a bit.” However, the UFC had to ensure that the walkout was recognized as part of the event, preventing any real panic, but things worked out and, as a result, it is one of the most talked-about walkouts in recent UFC history.

Now, with his upcoming UFC 303 bout, the fans will be looking forward to seeing if he pulls out another unique walkout for what could be his last fight in the 145 lbs division as Brian Ortega has indicated that his time as a featherweight has come to an end.

‘T-City’ is done with the featherweight division

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Brian Ortega revealed that before he was called up on short notice to take part in the UFC 303 card, he was planning a lightweight bout for the UFC’s September event at ‘The Sphere’ in Las Vegas. Ortega stated, “We talked about fighting Sept. 14 at the Sphere… They told that my weight class had no one really that they wanted me to fight. They didn’t want me to fight contenders and stuff, so I decided to move to 155.”

T-City’ then confessed that due to not having a clear road to the title at featherweight, he has decided to move up to lightweight as he further revealed, “There’s nothing in my weight class, why not move up to another one? Let me fight.” It remains to be seen if Ortega’s decision to move up to 155 lbs will pan out, but the new matchups in the division promise some very exciting possibilities for the fandom.

Do you think Brian Ortega will be able to establish himself as an elite lightweight in the near future? Share your thoughts in the comments below.