In a finish few saw coming, Brian Ortega capitalized on a huge opportunity at UFC 222, becoming the first man to knock Frankie Edgar out.
The co-main event of UFC 222 in Las Vegas on Saturday saw the octagon return of Frankie Edgar, after having two prior scheduled fights with Max Holloway cancelled due to each fighter being forced to pull out due to injury. Despite a title fight opportunity once again falling through, Edgar opted to remain on the card. That decision turned out to be his undoing. Edgar, who entered the night on a two fight win streak with wins over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 205 and Yair Rodriguez UFC 211, would hit a wall against ‘T-City’ — a.k.a. Brian Ortega.
The undefeated Brian Ortega faced his toughest challenge yet in Frankie Edgar at UFC 222. Ortega had finished every opponent he had faced faced in the UFC. His most recent win came over Cub Swanson by Guillotine choke at UFC Fresno, and was very much a contender for submission of the year. The finish streak didn’t finish at UFC 222 either.
Getting right into the action on Saturday, Edgar used combos to keep Ortega at bay. Ortega continued to stalk Edgar around the cage, finally landing a stinging elbow on Edgar that was followed by a crushing upper cut. That sent Edgar to the canvas, two punches followed, but it was already over as the ref called the end to the fight. Wow. With the finish, Brian Ortega became the first man to stop former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar — and punched his ticket to a title shot!
Brian Ortega def. Frankie Edgar by KO, Round 1, 4:44
