Undefeated UFC Featherweight Brian Ortega has an “[undominable]” spirit, according to his Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Rener Gracie.
“It’s no surprise he is where he is,” Gracie said. “He’s always up for a challenge. He’s got an [undominable] spirit that … it just gets the job done.”
Ortega is the star of a short documentary recently put out by the UFC, UFC Rising Stars: Brian Ortega.
It’s appropriate that Brian should be training under Rener. After all, it was Rener’s relative, Royce Gracie, who inspired the “the shy, blue-eyed” Ortega to train BJJ in the first place. Brian and his father were watching one of Royce Gracie’s famous matches against Ken Shamrock. Ortega thought Royce was going to “get worked” by his much bigger opponent, but his father disagreed. To the young Brian’s surprise, Gracie choked out Shamrock. Ortega’s father then told him that he should learn BJJ because he was “a little guy.”
The 13-year-old Ortega took his father’s advice and started training at Rener Gracie’s gym in Torrence, California. Rener saw promise in the boy right away:
His resiliency and his ability to adapt to discomfort, it’s an attribute that only the best have, and I knew it from when he was 13, 14 years old.
The number 13 now represents Ortega’s wins rather than his age. Nine of those wins have come by way of finish.
But Brian Ortega have what it takes to finish former UFC Lightweight Champion and #2 ranked Featherweight Frankie Edgar? He’ll have the chance when he takes on Edgar in the co-main event of UFC 222, set to go down March 3.
