Brian Ortega has arrived.
Despite an undefeated record as an amateur and in his professional career, Ortega has flown largely under the radar since he began fighting in the Octagon. After defeating perennial title contender Cub Swanson on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 123 in Fresno, Calif., however, Ortega is on everyone’s radar.
Most notably, he’s on the radar of UFC officials, who awarded him two post-fight bonuses for his second-round guillotine submission of Swanson.
Ortega was awarded a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, but was also one half of the Fight on the Night award, as Swanson had been fighting well, leading on all three scorecards, before Ortega submitted him.
The other Performance of the Night honor was bestowed upon Marlon Moraes. The former World Series of Fighting champion made his third start in the Octagon on Saturday night. It was, by far, his most impressive.
Facing a fellow bantamweight contender, Moraes launched a knee, knocking Aljamain Sterling out little more than a minute into their fight. The knockout earned Moraes the final $50,000 bonus check.
- Fight of the Night: Cub Swanson vs. Brian Ortega
- Performance of the Night: Brian Ortega
- Performance of the Night: Marlon Moraes
