UFC featherweight number one contender Brian Ortega shared an emotional story ahead of his title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 226 in Las Vegas

CENTURY CITY, Calif. — Life for Brian Ortega wasn’t always about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, UFC title fights, and undefeated MMA records.

Long before breaking records inside the Octagon, setting up a successful non-profit organization, and receiving celebrity endorsements, Ortega, 27, faced tremendous challenges, struggles, and adversity, well beyond any he would find en route to his July 7 championship bout at UFC 226. The son of an illegal Mexican immigrant, Ortega grew up amidst poverty and violence, nearly succumbing to a life of crime.

Learning “where not to be at so you don’t get shot … where not to walk so you don’t get jumped … who to stand up to, who not to stand up to,” Ortega readily admits that he very well could have been lost to the streets forever; however, there was one occasion in particular that set a once rambunctious youth on the straight and narrow.

“There was a time where … I kind of realized what was going on and the toll it was taking on my family,” offers Ortega, just 10 days before his title fight. “I was out on bail, just got out of jail, my sister was on drugs: she was a meth addict and my other sister was an alcoholic.”

He then goes on to add:

“My mom bailed me out and I took a cruise in the car. And you know when you see people talking to themselves and you go ‘oh, I feel sorry for that person?’ Well I’m driving and I see that person, and that person was my sister. So I dragged her in the car and took her home: rough ride, you know, cause I had a stick shift and I had to keep her from jumping out car. I got her home and I was supposed to babysit her, make sure she doesn’t try to escape while we try to find something for her. And I was maybe like on the third day of taking care of her and I’m tired, and she keeps trying to make all these escapes for it. She’s hitting me, she’s saying all these things to me, and I slip up: I fall asleep. And she makes her way around me, and then I chase her and I grab her and she starts scratching me and hitting me, and I got so mad that I put her against the wall and started kind of choking her. And then my other sister comes behind me and starts choking me, and you got these three f*ck ups you know fighting each other. And you know, then I look over and I see my mom’s face and she’s crying. She’s like ‘what did I do in my life to deserve this?’ and ever since then it just kind of stuck with me.”

The anecdote, while deep and heavy, is just another chapter in the life of Brian Ortega. The same Brian Ortega who lost his grandfather right before his MMA debut in 2010 and nearly drowned just months before a fight in 2016. He’s witnessed far more in his 27 years than most people, let alone his millennial peers, do in an entire lifetime.

Tough life lessons eventually prompted Ortega to search for his equal, namely a competitor who could survive an entire bout without falling victim to one of his signature submissions or rapidly improving striking game. That very pursuit has taken Ortega to the near-heights of the MMA game.

In less than one year, “T-City” has delivered two “Fight of the Night” performances, winning both via guillotine choke, and earned a pair of “Performance of the Night” bonuses, becoming the first fighter in history to finish former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Now 14-0, the undefeated Ortega has catapulted up the divisional ranks, claiming the number-one contender spot. Crafting together a near-peerless resume, he must now prove himself against incumbent featherweight champion Max Holloway, a winner of 12-straight UFC outings and a fighter many already rank as the greatest featherweight of all time.

“I need someone who’s gonna test me, not someone who’s gonna be an easy fight,” explains Ortega. “I think Max is my equal. We’re both tall, young, hungry — two young lions — this is I feel the closest I’m gonna get to my equal. He’s at the top of his game. I’m at the top of mine.”

Between a life of turmoil and his pursuit of a worthy rival, Ortega has evolved into a thoughtful and compassionate individual. He’s also expanded his growing repertoire to include philanthropy, using his platform in the UFC to launch the Brian Ortega Foundation, which provides “T-City” scholarships and resources for deserving, underprivileged youth.

Taken in by the Gracie family, the first family of BJJ, at a young age to pursue his passion for jiu-jitsu, Ortega has set up his foundation to pay it forward, helping kids so that they can pursue their own dreams and passions. And much like his career, Ortega’s philanthropic mission has exploded with immediate success, thanks in part to “Ironman” actor Robert Downey Jr.

“We started talking and he was one of the most realest people I’ve ever met,” comments Ortega of his relationship with the veteran movie star. “He told me some stuff. He was like ‘yeah I’ve been to Carson station before I went to Twin Towers [Correctional Facility]’ before he got locked up, and I was like ‘no way, I have too’ and we kind of bonded over that situation … I feel like he feels me from how I grew up

“I feel like he’s seen a little bit of that in me and he knows that I want to want to help people, and he decided to help me help people, which is what I wanted … through what he did with those [social media] posts … we raised $50,000. So that’s something amazing that he’s done and now, with that, we’re gonna help so much people … so many kids are gonna do things that they love now.”

The foundation, which has grown at a much quicker rate than even Ortega anticipated, is further proof of his good nature and mission to help people. It’s a testament to how much he cares about his cause and purpose beyond mixed martial arts fighting, even stating that he “can’t wait to get this fight done so I can go back to work and start helping people.”

Philanthropy has also given Ortega a new perspective on fighting because while he has grown to care about life, and the lives that he can touch and improve through his efforts outside of competition, inside the cage, he has developed a new mantra, explaining that “the less I care, the faster I win.”