The MMA ruling and the gospel of how it is scored will never not be weird. However, the consensus running is that flashy strikes and all-out brawls are what get the hype up. This Saturday’s UFC 306 saw such a marquee brawl in the third-last fight. Diego Lopes outworked Brian Ortega and put the division on notice. However, there’s someone who thinks Ortega should have won.
That someone is Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. For the uninitiated, this is the same guy who delivered MMA’s best slam KO to Ricardo Arona in PRIDE FC! The all-action Lopes beat former title challenger Brian Ortega to a unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27). However, the quippy Rampage Jackson wishes ‘T-City’ won based on style points/perseverance.
I’ll tell you why, …I’ll tell you why. Because look how he is fighting. Look at it he took those punches in the first round. And he came back and he landed some good jabs…He’s in the fight. He’s standing in the face [of] this guy already…knocked him down almost first round. He should win for the card for, for..for…He should get toughness points!
Quinton Jackson on UFC 306 RECAP segment for ‘JAXXON’ Podcast (@jaxxonpodcast)
The UFC 306 PPV had some good moments. Fights like featherweight prospect Diego Lopes or the Fight of the Night scrap between Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber are a tentpole of MMA nostalgia. Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) made a dominant sweep, snagging even a 30-26 on the judges’ cards. The BJJ black belt proved just how good he is again.
However, it also proved how much of a hard chin Ortega has. He has taken around 750 significant strikes in his last few. That too against big players like Yair Rodriguez and Alexander Volkanovski. However, as Jackson’s friends and co-hosts TJ Dillashaw, Luke Rockhold, Bear Degidio, and Jason Parillo tell him: toughness does not win fights. Fights win fights; Ortega has some changes in mind about that.
Swollen Brian Ortega speaks out for first time about UFC 306 loss
UFC 306’s third-last bout did not have major title implications for Ortega as it did for Diego Lopes. Lopes rose to the task once again as he added another signature 145-pound statement win to his resume. The rising star is that much closer to his promised title gold opportunity.
Brian Ortega reacts to UFC 306 loss (Source: YT/complex.com)Except for a short-notice loss to undefeated contender Movsar Evloev, Lopes is golden. He is also on a five-fight winning streak. Meanwhile, Brian Ortega (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) fell to two out of four career skids via decision. The California native also had his winning momentum cut short.
Four days after his rough-and-tough scrap, ‘T-City’ showed off his battle wounds on his IG story. Physical wounds aside, Ortega said he’s thinking about planning some different routes in the 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…We’re good mentally, physically…Nothing is broken. 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. But I’m very thankful for you guys.
Brian ‘T-City’ Ortega via IG Stories (@briantcity)
The loss dropped Ortega, 33, to 2-4 in his last six fights. Before he was originally to fight at UFC 303 in June. He was also vying for a move north to 155 limits. Ortega did not specify if the move to lightweight was on the cards still. But whatever it is, the BJJ Savant is promising changes to look forward to.
