Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega finally clashed at UFC 306 (Noche UFC) in the Sphere. The fight did not pan out the way Ortega would’ve hoped for. The fast-rising Brazilian put on an absolute beatdown on Ortega as he secured a unanimous decision victory. The featherweight star won the fight with the scorecards 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26. However, the ransacking was much worse than what was scored.
Lopes was close to finishing the fight on several occasions, notably in the first round. Ortega took some major damage and possibly a few years off his career in a fight like that. Ortega had some post-fight antics to deal with against disrespectful fans. However, the worst came in the ring with a badly damaged eye and swollen calf. He had some things to say about his future.
Face is a little bit swollen, lip is a little bit swollen, Obviously, the eye was crying for a bit, but it is what it is. I’ll be crying blood for a bit. Leg is swollen. I’m putting some cream on it. We’re doing good. I did have some time to reflect obviously. I’ve got to make some moves to get better. That’s it.
Brian Oretga via Instagram Story
Ortega certainly had a night to forget after a vicious beatdown. Nevertheless, the changes Brian Ortega will make to try and improve following the loss are unclear. A move up to 155 lb division could be on the cards, as he had stated back in June. Luckily for ‘T-City’, he didn’t suffer any major injuries and won’t require any surgeries.
With a record of two wins and four losses in his last six fights, a move up could help ‘T-City’ find his fire again. As such, he might take the rest of the year off and fight again next year. There was another controversial aspect of the fight. No one can only wonder why the UFC Fight Metric did not register any of the knockdowns in the Ortega vs. Lopes bout.
‘0 Knockdowns’ UFC Fight Metric underfire for Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes fight
During the absolute demolition of Oretga, the Brazilian rising star put on an unfathomable beating on T-CIty. Ortega suffered nearly 750 significant strikes in his last six fights and has taken some massive damage. Lopes landed 106 significant strikes on T-City for the duration of three rounds.
UFC Fight Metric underfire for not counting Diego Lopes knockdowns vs. Brian Ortega (via X)Lopes came close to finishing Oretga in the first and the third round. Nevertheless, T-City’s lasting toughness prevailed and he competed in all three rounds. However, many fans have put the UFC Fight Metric in the griller, labeling it ‘weird.’
During the Alexa Grasso fight, it only registered one submission attempt for Grasso when she clearly attempted atleast one per round. In the Lopes fight, it did not count the two knockdowns in the fight. The metric system did not acknowledge the knockdowns that happened in the first and the third rounds.
With such inaccuracy in the system and in the past, fans have rallied for a better stat measure. The same thing happened during Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway‘s BMF title fight at UFC 300. In the fourth round, Gaethje knocked Holloway down, but it never registered. A better explanation of what the UFC looks for in knockdowns will definitely help the MMA community understand the metrics better.
