Brian Ortega and Max Holloway met for the first time at UFC 231 in December of 2018, with Holloway scoring a fourth-round TKO win to retain the UFC featherweight title.
Ortega says that he knew the minute the initial fight was made, a rematch would happen between the two.
“I said this in the beginning, in the very, very beginning when the fight was first set up, we will meet again,” Ortega said at the UFC Fight Island 6 post-fight press conference (via Milan Ordonez of Bloody Elbow). “He’s gonna stay at the top. He’s not just a guy that’s gonna drop right off the bat and just kinda spiral down his career. I’m not a guy that’s just gonna fall off like that. Clearly, tonight I showed the world that that’s not me. He’s gonna stay on top, I’m gonna be at the top, Volkanovski’s gonna be at the top. And believe me, we’re gonna have some rounds with all of us. We’re gonna keep you guys entertained.”
Holloway has won just one of four since the first meeting with Ortega, while Ortega has won just one of one. One thing that Ortega believes is that he’ll come out on top against Holloway if they are to meet again.
“It would just look different,” he said. “I’m not here to promote anything or to say this and that. I just know I’m a better fighter than I was when I fought him, and it would go a lot different.”
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