Las Vegas — Ahead of UFC 303, where he faces Diego Lopes in the night’s co-main event, Brian Ortega shed some light into one of the UFC‘s best walkouts of all time.
At UFC 266, Ortega walked out to the theme from The Purge, a horror movie which envisions an America where murder and other crimes become legal, for short periods, in order for the populace to get aggression out of their system.
Asked about the motivation for that walkout by Cageside Press during Wednesday’s UFC 303 media day, Ortega recalled that “at that time, I was living in an apartment, I had left the house and everything when I separated. And there’s this neighbor upstairs which is, every hour, it was like, one in the morning, two in the morning, three in the morning, four in the morning. Like dude, you guys go to sleep? What’s going on, come on now. I’ve got to fight, I’ve got a world title [shot], what are you guys doing?”
Ortega found himself watching Reels one day on social media, and the song from the movie came on. “The Purge song came on, and I started fantasizing. Not the best thing, but if The Purge was real, the first thing I’m doing is going upstairs. I’m not a snitch, I’m not a complainer but I even hit up the landlord, I was like ‘yo can you tell them to be quiet please?'”
In his defense, Ortega pointed out that his neighbors had already proven to be snitches, reporting him for playing loudly with his kids.
“I know they snitched on me before because I’d been playing a little too rough, like I was running around one time and I was like ‘I’m going to kill you,’ and the kids were screaming, they were about to call the cops because they thought I was going to kill my kids. To me it wasn’t that crazy, that’s how we play around, but I never said nothing.”
Eventually, Ortega had no choice but to go to his landlord. It didn’t help.
“Finally I said ‘hey man, whoever is up there, I don’t want to be rude but come on now.’ It feels like they’re dragging something across the floor all night. Like, if you need help, let me know.” After he complained, the noise from upstairs got worse, continued Ortega. “That was just in my head. Dude, if the Purge was real, I’d go upstairs and just handle business.”
Ortega went as far as thinking about what mask he’d wear and how he’d approach the house, in order to (in fantasy) kill his neighbors. “Cheapest walkout ever, the soundtrack was dope, and I messed with all of you in the crowd.”
His coaches, he told Cageside Press, were aware of his inspiration. “Oh yeah I told them, I want to kill my neighbors, at that time. At that time.”
So how did Brian Ortega settle his issues with those neighbors? By getting rid of them, a different way. “I bought a house.”
Watch the full UFC 303 media day appearance by Brian Ortega above.
