Brian Ortega lost in his second title fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 but his performance on that night will be remembered for several reasons. Not only did he nearly pull off an improbable comeback to win the belt in the third round but his walkout to the Octagon is still recognized as one of the most memorable in UFC history.
As the challenger, Ortega walked out first and surprised everyone in attendance when the lights dimmed and his entire team emerged from the tunnel with dark masks inspired by the 2013 film ‘The Purge.’ Ahead of his fight with Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303, Ortega was asked about the moment from 2021.
Brian Ortega Explains UFC 266 Walkout
#UFC303's Brian Ortega shares the dark story behind his famous Purge walkout. ?
"If The Purge was real, I would've gone upstairs (to my neighbours) and handled business." pic.twitter.com/fjca7SnCdN
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 26, 2024
As a part of his UFC 303 media day commitments, Brian Ortega conducted a 17-minute interview with reporters on the scene. When asked about his walkout from three years ago, Ortega went down memory lane to reveal the backstory of his iconic entrance.
During his interview, Ortega said:
At that time I was living in an apartment… There was this neighbor upstairs who, just every hour, I was like, ‘Dude, can you guys go to sleep? Come on now.’… And then I was watching some [Instagram] reels or something and The Purge song came on. I started fantasizing, not the best thing, but like if The Purge thing was real, the first thing I’m doing is I’m going upstairs.
‘T-City’ continued:
I don’t know why but then I would stay up all night and [think about The Purge song]… If I was to commit these crimes, how would I approach their house? That was the concept, to be all hoodied up with a lighted mask. Then I was like, ‘Dude what if I walked out to this [at UFC 266]? Wouldn’t that be dope?
‘The Purge’ Movie Concept That Inspired Brian Ortega
In 2013, ‘The Purge’ was released to theaters in what would eventually become the first of five movies in the conceptualized franchise. The first film brought in over $60 million in United States box offices alone and nearly $100 million internationally, making it one of the highest-grossing horror film franchises of all time.
The film is set in a futuristic dystopian world in which crime has become a growing issue. To solve high crime rates in the United States, a new government system decided to enforce a policy in which once a year, for 12 hours, all crime would be legal during a period they called ‘The Purge.’
During this period, all citizens other than the incumbent president, his family, and select government officials would be vulnerable to all crimes including murder and sexual assault. Due to its popularity, ‘The Purge’ has developed a cult following and is a common costume selection during Halloween.
UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega
Following the walkout, Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski engaged in a 25-minute war that would be awarded Fight of the Night. Though Volkanovski was mostly dominant throughout the fight, landing over 200 significant strikes, Ortega had his moments in rounds three and four, nearly submitting the champion twice.
After losing the first two rounds, Ortega managed to land his first takedown of the fight in round three after landing a solid counter left hand that wobbled the champion. Once on the ground, Ortega used his superior grappling skills to wrap up both a guillotine choke and a triangle choke that had nearly every viewer believing he was just seconds away from the win.
Through grit and perseverance, Volkanovski escaped both chokes and turned the tables late in the round. Many still consider the third frame of the UFC 266 main event as one of the best singular rounds in UFC championship history. At the end of the fight, Volkanovski would be given the unanimous decision and a successful second title defense.
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