Former UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega is well on his way to settling the score with Diego Lopes at UFC 306 aka UFC Noche in September. The event is set to honor Mexican Independence Day and will have the partner title, "Riyadh Season". It's set to make history as the first and only UFC (or MMA) event to ever take place inside The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Originally slated to face Lopes at UFC 303 last June, 'T-City' had to pull out during the event itself, citing an illness as the cause. He was then replaced by Dan Ige, whom Lopes defeated via a unanimous decision.
Now healthy and ready to go again, Ortega is looking sharp inside the gym, as seen through some of his photos on Instagram.
Check out the pictures uploaded by Brian Ortega below:
Check out the full post below:
Brian Ortega, and Diego Lopes, to take part in record-breaking fight card at UFC Noche
Aside from Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, UFC Noche will also feature two world title bouts. In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso will rematch her rival, former divisional queen Valentina Shevchenko, for the UFC flyweight world title. The two also participated as coaches in the most recent season of 'The Ultimate Fighter'.
In the main event, red-hod UFC bantamweight champ 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley will defend his belt against no. 1-ranked Merad Dvalishvili. This rivalry has been brewing for over a year now and with the two headlining this card, UFC Noche is set to make history.
According to UFC president Dana White, UFC 306 is set to break the company's all-time gate revenue record, eclipsing the Conor McGregor-headlined UFC 205 in 2016. White revealed these numbers to veteran journalist Kevin Iole, saying (via Jed I. Goodman on X):
"I'm $20 million into this f**king thing, right. I'm in anywhere between 17 to 20 right now. And the fight isn't until September 14. But this is on par with any massive event that happens on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day."
When asked what is his projected gate for UFC Noche, White said:
"Anywhere from 25 to 27 million."
Check out Dana White's comments below: