Brian Ortega reveals exact reason why he shaved his hair before UFC on Fight Island 6 showdown against Korean Zombie

Brian Ortega made a triumphant return to the UFC after a near 2 year lay-off. His last outing was a one-sided loss in a Featherweight Championship bout against Max Holloway.

However, he showed no sign of ring rust as he dismantled his opponent “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung for a unanimous decision win at UFC in Fight Island 6.

Brian Ortega put on a striking masterclass and fought a patient and intelligent fight - attributes not credited to him in the past.

In his post-fight interview, he stated that he wanted to be a completely new Brian Ortega before making his return to the Octagon.

However, his in-ring style was not the only ‘new’ thing about the BJJ black belt. Brian Ortega, known for his flowing locks which he would braid during his fights, sported a bald look for his return to the UFC.

NEW AND IMPROVED.@BrianTCity's time away has brought back a 2.0 version 👏

[ #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/5nyMcdwCKB
— UFC (@ufc) October 18, 2020

Brian Ortega donated his hair to charity

While most of the fighting community knew that Brian Ortega would be donating his hair to charity, the exact details have been made clear only a short while ago.

Brian Ortega claimed post-fight that he always wanted to cut his hair but never really got around to it. He also frequents a lot of cancer hospitals for children and encounters kids who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy.

Brian Ortega felt terrible while cutting weight for his UFC fights to make the 145-pound weight limit. While his discomfort and misery were for a short time, he felt that the children going through chemotherapy felt like that every day and had to deal with ups and downs and weight loss regularly.

So to show solidarity with these children, he shaved his head for his UFC return and donated his hair to charity.

Brian Ortega discussed why he shaved his head in his post-fight press conference.

He said that he had always thought about cutting his hair, but never completely

He felt terrible when he was cutting weight, but thought about children with cancer who he'd visited in the hospital
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 18, 2020

He said that he had to go through this weight cut for just a little bit, but they have to go through it every day. The ups and downs, losing weight, chemotherapy.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 18, 2020

He asked his team for the clippers and they thought he was joking. He demanded them, shaved his head bald and said that they were going to donate the hair to charity.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 18, 2020

While the new hairstyle has surely brought him good luck, it remains to be seen whether or not Brian Ortega continues with his new look.

Published 18 Oct 2020, 10:22 IST