Brian Ortega

I want to go out and help people and share love where love is needed. ”

Training full-on year round is great, and I love to stay in shape and always being ready, but I feel sometimes I don't have a life. ”

If we have more confidence in ourselves, we can live a happier life and a better life. ”

My whole life, I thought I sucked. And then I get in here, and I grapple other people, and I'm like, 'I'm actually good.' ”

I knew what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to fight. ”

The people around me saved my life, not MMA. It was people who said, 'You're better than this,' who told me, 'You don't belong in this world.' MMA and jiu-jitsu and training gave me an escape. ”

I was blessed to be able to be born here. My dad crossed. My dad illegally went through the border and was living under a bridge; he was homeless. People are making fun of him, beating him up. All kinds of things. After he kind of figured out the situation, he brought my mom over. ”

I very strongly dislike fear. I always say fear keeps us from living our lives and doing the things we want to do. ”

It doesn't matter that I'm taking a fight on a month's notice. I've taken many fights on two seconds' notice. ”

Ultimately, I feel like I'm doing everything right. I'm slowly but surely climbing up the ladder. I'm taking out bigger names with every fight. Not just beating them on a point level - I'm finishing every single one of my opponents. ”