Brian Ortega was present at UFC 247 to see the fight card headlined by Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes when he spoke to Brett Okamoto about his next fight.
It appears that Ortega is more than aware of the rumors surrounding a fight between himself and Zabit Magomedsharipov, but the former title contender also revealed that nothing has been signed about the fight yet.
He went on to reveal that he was not sure what was going on with regards to the fight, but he wants to face Zabit in a five-round fight.
"Just spoke to Brian Ortega backstage. He told me he is aware of the Zabit Magomedsharipov rumors but nothing is signed and he's not sure what's going on. He DOES want to fight Zabit five rounds. Says if Zabit wants to be a champ this year, take a five-rounder."
It has been more than a year since Brian Ortega last fought, as he was defeated by Max Holloway in a fight for the UFC Featherweight Championship. He was set to fight in December 2019 against Chan Sung Jung, but had to pull out of it in the end due to a knee injury that he was suffering from.