Max Holloway delivered a striking masterclass during his title defense against Brian Ortega at UFC 231. Ortega was thoroughly schooled by 'Blessed' before suffering a fourth-round TKO loss.
Always a gentleman, Max Holloway even tried to teach Brian Ortega how to block punches as 'T-City' kept getting clipped.
Watch the hilarious moment below:
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Brian Ortega had a perfect record going into his title bout against Max Hollway. However, 'T-City' left the octagon a changed man after the beatdown he received at the hands of the former champ.
He took an almost two-year hiatus from the sport before bouncing back with a dominant decision victory against 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung.
The incredible striking display earned Ortega his second title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. Despite coming back a significantly better fighter, he dropped a unanimous decision against the champion in an absolute barnburner at UFC 266.
Brian Ortega on the Max Holloway fight
Brian Ortega knew he needed to develop his game after his devastating loss to Max Holloway. Ortega revealed that the loss against Holloway helped him become the fighter he is today.
Brian Ortega told TMZ Sports in the lead up to his fight against Alexander Volkanovski:
"That was the best thing about it. It showed me that there's a flaw in your system, so now we had to fix that. It's something you don't see when you're winning, but the fact that you saw and noticed that there's flaw in the system... and luckily I was able to have a team - a new one - surround me and help me kind of cover all those holes and guide me now on the right track. I feel great."
Ortega further revealed how his approach completely changed after the Holloway fight.
"I feel like I am finally learning how to fight more, you know. I feel like before, I was kind of just stuck in my old ways and if it ain't broken, don't fix it and stuck with the mentality of the team that was there, versus now, where it's like, 'Hey, we have to constantly evolve and if you're not learning and losing, then you're not doing your job,' which is great."
Watch Brian Ortega's interview with TMZ Sports below: