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Fans are confused about why Brian Ortega is still ranked in the top five of the UFC featherweight division.
On December 16, Colby Covington will challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight title in the UFC 296 main event. There has been plenty of backlash surrounding Covington getting a title shot because his last fight was a unanimous decision win against Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.
Covington’s inactivity has sparked debates about whether or not he should maintain his number three ranking. Once the topic made its way to Reddit, fans quickly brought up how Ortega is also in the same category and is arguably in a worse situation.
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Ortega is the number three-ranked UFC featherweight. Yet, he hasn’t fought since July 2022, when he suffered a first-round TKO loss against Yair Rodriguez due to a shoulder injury. ‘T-City’ also hasn’t won a fight since securing a unanimous decision against ‘The Korean Zombie’ in October 2020.
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Fans on Reddit recently voiced their frustration with Brian Ortega’s ranking by sharing the following messages:
“UFC rankings are as useful as t*ts on a bull”
“Khabib has a more recent win than this rank squatter.”
“UFC ranking has gotta implement a decay system. Only reason this keeps happening is because it's based on wins and losses right now. So if a fighter doesn't lose -- no matter how long he has been inactive -- he'll keep his ranking.”
“He never fights. Zombie was streaking and Ortega had been out for a year. Ortega beats him and gets a TUF season and a title shot. Dana loves him.”
“Rankings are what the ufc deem to be best for marketing”
“And he fights once a year lol at best”
Brian Ortega is rumored to be fighting in a rematch early next year
Although nothing has been confirmed, Brian Ortega is expected to return to the Octagon in the near future. Earlier this week, rumors began spreading about Ortega potentially headlining the UFC event on February 24, which takes place in Mexico.
Ortega is rumored to be fighting Yair Rodriguez in a rematch from their July 2022 bout. ‘T-City’ had voiced his interest in facing Rodriguez again due to the freak shoulder injury last time, and it looks like his request might be granted.
Rodriguez's last fight was on July 8, when he suffered a third-round knockout loss against Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title.
