“I felt like I was going to die.”
To hear Cub Swanson describe the feeling of a Brian Ortega guillotine might sound a bit hyperbolic at first, but to be fair, what he actually said following his second round submission loss to “T-City” in the duo’s Fight Night 123 headliner was:
“It crushed my head, and it’s like my neck just flared up, and I panicked. I felt like I was going to die.”
If that still sounds like a bit of overcompensating to some of you more unforgiving fans, let’s first consider the source here. Cub Swanson is a 33-fight veteran who’s famously battled with the likes of Charles Oliveira (a submission savant in his own right), current featherweight champion Max Holloway, and Frankie Edgar to name a few. He’s fought in the King of the Cage, WEC, and the UFC. He once suffered this gruesome axe wound courtesy of a Jose Aldo flying knee, so I’m inclined to believe that he has a pretty good understanding of what it feels like to be on the verge of death. And it only took Swanson — a BJJ black belt under Rigan Machado — a few seconds trapped inside the iron grip of Ortega to elicit such a response.
The guillotine.@BrianTCity #UFCFresno pic.twitter.com/x7urFLj2pa
— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2017
It’s hell of an endorsement, to say the very least, and not the only one that Ortega has received since scoring the biggest victory of his career on Saturday night.
Now 13-0 as a professional, Ortega was already among elite company in one of the UFC’s most dangerous divisions, but now, he’s gone from an almost complete unknown (at least among casual fans) to the short list of title contenders, with some outlets even pondering whether he should be the next man to face Holloway.
#themmahour question of the day: Who should Max Holloway fight next?
(Live in less than one hour! https://t.co/lLocQxXeOI)
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 11, 2017
UFC President Dana White was similarly blown away by Ortega’s performance over the weekend, calling him “the future of the sport” while speaking with reporters after the fight.
“Without a doubt, this kid’s obviously the future. Cub Swanson looked incredible tonight. … The problem is, this Ortega kid, if he even puts his hands on you man – and he had him in the first round, and I’ve never seen a guy up in a guillotine choke like that and lets go, repositions his hands, and gets the choke. Against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt too. Unbelievable. Incredible performance that definitely puts this kid on the map.”
So yes, it’s probably about time that we start giving this Ortega kid the looks he deserves. Having notched 5 stoppage victories in the UFC and displayed an ever-improving striking game to compliment his boa constrictor-like grappling prowess, it might even be the time to start touting him as the “Prince That Was Promised” or whatever analogy you prefer (not like that’s ever backfired). But a star on the rise though he may be, it appears that, for now at least, “T-City” will have to put in a little more work before the UFC starts selling him as the next great challenger to Holloway’s throne.
Yes, despite being understandably pissed at former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar for breaking his orbital bone just a couple weeks out from his bout with Holloway at UFC 218 earlier in the month — a development which saw him replaced by the man who Holloway defeated to win the title, Jose Aldo — White was adamant that “The Answer” is still next in line for a shot at the featherweight title.
“There’s no way that Ortega jumps over Frankie,” White said. “Definitely not. … It all depends on timing. When do we fight again? Who’s ready? Who’s not?
“But yeah, Frankie definitely seems like the No. 1 contender.”
It’s the smartest decision White and the UFC have made in a while, frankly. Say what you will about the been there, done that feeling of Edgar’s most recent title bid (he’s currently 0-2 as a featherweight title challenger and has recently hinted that retirement might not be too far away), but it makes far more sense to give Holloway a win over another established veteran and Ortega some time to build a following than it does to throw them against one another in another shortsighted cash grab.
Needless to say, one would imagine that Ortega will be watching the Edgar-Holloway fight very closely, whenever it does come to fruition. In the meantime, maybe a matchup with Ricardo Lamas-Josh Emmett winner (aka Ricardo Lamas) would make sense?
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Jared Jones is a writer, musician, and filmmaker currently residing in Boston, MA. Angry comments can be directed to his Twitter and/or Facebook pages.
