Brian Ortega has big plans for potential move to UFC lightweight division: ‘I can’t say nothing’

Brian Ortega appears ready to start a new chapter in his UFC run.

Ortega hasn’t had the best of luck as of late. The once unbeaten contender has gone 1-4 in his last five outings. After having a rough weight cut ahead of his unanimous decision loss to Aljamain Sterling, many have suggested that “T-City” should move up to 155 pounds.

It appears that’s the path Ortega wishes to take, as he told MMAJunkie.com that something big might be in the works.

“I took a month off, I’m already jumping back into training,” Ortega said. “And we’re looking for a future venue here, and we’re talking about a potential move up to ’55, and now we’re just looking for the opponent. I can’t say nothing, but it’s going to be dope from from what I’m hearing.”

While it’s been tough sledding for Ortega, he is remaining positive about the future and he’s happy to have taken the risks that he has.

“I mean, for the real ones in this game, it comes with ups and downs, and right now it’s been a down,” Ortega said. “I’ve had people still support me, but obviously you can see the hate coming through a lot of angles. So in my career, I’m always going to be with my head high. That’s always the goal, but we’ve been hit a little bit lately, but it’s all good. At the end of the day, I take pride in saying I went for it.”

Ortega has a pro MMA record of 16-5, 1 NC. He went from 14-0, 1 NC to going 2-5 in his last seven fights. Ortega will turn 35 in February 2026 and he’s hoping that a move to lightweight will give him the boost that he needs to get back on track. Keep it locked on BJPenn.com for the latest updates on Ortega.