Brian Ortega won’t require surgery after all.
Speaking on the latest “UFC Unfiltered” podcast, Ortega (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who partially tore his ACL in an accident during training earlier this month, said he won’t have to go under the knife for reparation.
“I’m happy I don’t need surgery,” Ortega said.
Ortega was scheduled to headline Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea against Chan Sung Jung , but Frankie Edgar stepped in to replace him following his withdrawal
Ortega said the injury occurred while was defending a takedown during sparring, and he heard a loud pop. He immediately knew something was wrong and couldn’t walk the next day.
And while he still had intentions of competing this Saturday, he would have been risking a complete tear to his ACL in the fight, putting him on the shelf even longer. Instead, Ortega elected to begin rehab on the joint and is currently on the road to recovery.
“I’m already doing things on it,” Ortega said. “They said two more months of rehab. I’ve been rehabbing everyday, and right now I’m working – I’m pretty much doing everything I used to do but around the injury. While I’m rehabbing the injury, I’m still keeping up my same program. I’m still eating the same things. I’m still working out – like, I’m still moving. The other day I woke up at 165 still, like my body’s ready for war.”
Ortega hasn’t competed since his TKO loss to then UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway in December 2018, where he suffered the first pro loss of his career.
With Jung scheduled to take on Edgar now, Ortega says “The Korean Zombie” fight is still on his radar should he emerge victorious, and with things going in line with his timetable of return.
“I think so, I think Korean’s still in the radar,” Ortega said. “There’s a couple of guys out there that pretty much – if Max and Alex Volkanovski are going to rematch each other, then it’s trying to decide who’s the next guy that fans and Dana White want to see me fight in order for me to climb my way back up and prove myself again.”
“I know you have Zabit (Magomedsharipov) up there, you have ‘Korean Zombie’ right there, and everyone else is – Jose Aldo and Frankie moved down pretty much at ’35 besides him coming to save this card. So it’s really just sitting there and weighing your options and looking at who is the right fight to go forward and get after it.”
Having previously hinted on numerous occasions that he’ll be making some changes moving forward, Ortega revealed that those changes include working with new coaches in hopes of continued improvement on his craft.
“Part of this whole last year has been getting all kinds of things,” Ortega said. “It’s been getting a muay Thai coach. It’s been working with a lot of people, you know? It’s doing so many different arts other than boxing and jiu-jitsu, what I was used to. Now I’m actually doing real strength and conditioning, I have a nutritionist – it’s crazy. I’ve been doing a lot of work.”
Brian Ortega won't need surgery for torn ACL, says 'Korean Zombie' fight still on his radar
