Ex-UFC referee voices concerns about Brian Ortega's motivations after loss to Aljamain Sterling: "Like having a gun with no bullets"

Brian Ortega’s performance against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai seemed to lack motivation and raised several questions about his mindset.

Sterling, meanwhile, returned to winning ways at the co-main event feature with a unanimous decision victory. Ortega pressed forward throughout the bout but rarely found his mark. Sterling consistently disrupted his rhythm with well-timed strikes and movement.

The criticism came from former UFC official John McCarthy, who has known Ortega since his early career. McCarthy suggested that Ortega no longer fights with the same urgency and passion that once made him dangerous.

He noticed that Ortega had chances to attack Sterling but failed to seize them. Speaking in a recent episode of the WEIGHIN IN podcast, McCarthy said:

"There were moments in this fight where you’re looking at Brian and you’re saying, there’s your opportunity, go, here’s your opening, go. And he’s not. When you are not capable of seeing those moments and pulling the trigger, it becomes a very difficult thing to win the fight. I just don’t see that same offensive aggression."

He added:

"Brian is a better standup fighter technically than Aljamain. He is. But it’s like having a gun with no bullets. Aljamain was not the better striker, but he landed way more effectively and had the better shots overall. There has got to be something to light a fire to open up the mindset of Brian Ortega to get back to being the aggressive, offensive-based fighter that he once was. No matter what, you've got to pull the trigger.”

Check out John McCarthy's comments below (11:30 onwards):

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Aljamain Sterling downplays Brian Ortega’s botched weight cut in UFC Shanghai clash

Aljamain Sterling was not swayed by Brian Ortega’s weight struggles ahead of their Shanghai clash. The fight, initially booked at featherweight, shifted to a 153-pound catchweight after Ortega failed to make 146.

Sterling admitted he was aware of Ortega’s history of rallying after rough cuts and entered prepared for a tough contest. The former UFC bantamweight champion looked sharp in the exchanges.

Speaking about Ortega's failed weight cut at the post-fight show, Sterling said:

“He’s been in that position before where he was deathly on the scale, and then he comes out and has a great performance. 'The Korean Zombie’ was one of those performances where he looked like a masterclass boxer, and then he knocked him out with the back elbow at the end, right? I knew he was going to be game." [H/t: MMA Fighting]