Brian Ortega

“Ultimately, I'm here to fight the best. I'm not here to stay in and get a couple paychecks. I'm here to do my best while I can and while I'm fresh and make a name for myself.”

“I've gotta check, but I think I'll be the first UFC fighter in history to have the lead role in a big movie.”

“I was blessed to be able to be born here. My dad crossed. My dad illegally went through the border and was living under a bridge; he was homeless. People are making fun of him, beating him up. All kinds of things. After he kind of figured out the situation, he brought my mom over.”

“I just want people to realize that it doesn't take much to be a good person. Simple things is all it takes.”

“There's little windows that open up during the fight, to finish your opponent. Whenever those windows open, I'm jumping right through them without hesitation.”

“For me, it was always survival. Learn where not to be at so you don't get shot. Learn where not to walk at so you don't get jumped. Learn who to stand up to, who not to stand up to. And then, when I got old enough to get a chip on my shoulder, I wanted to be the dog. I wanted to be the alpha.”

“To bring out the best in someone, you really have to push them.”

“Sometimes when you get eager, you get sloppy. Sometimes when you get sloppy, you get knocked out.”

“A lot of people have these fancy facilities, these fancy training atmospheres, high-tech this and that... I believe it's about the fighter and how much work is he willing to put. I'm trying to show the world that I can make it happen from a garage. People don't believe it, but I know how to work with what I've got to get to the top.”

“I really love to help kids that are struggling and going through a tough time, and I want to be a positive light on them.”

“I'm human, and we all make mistakes. But just because you're knocked down, you don't have to stay down. Get up and fight.”

“All glory to God. I'm nothing.”

“Sometimes, the best response is no response.”

“Fighting is great, but I can't do it forever.”

“The Harbor Area is everything - Carson, Wilmington, San Pedro, Long Beach, that whole little bubble that I grew up in. I always throw it up after I finish fighting, I always throw up the Harbor Area. Out of pride. It made me who I am. It brought me my goods; it brought me my bads. It molded me into who I am.”

“When I go in the Octagon, it's no big deal. Just gonna go fight. Majority of the people? 'Dude, I'm scared to even walk through there.' Everything's a matter of perspective.”

“For me, I'm just me. That's what I realized the best thing to be is.”

“I'm not the perfect person, but I have the perfect heart, I feel, when it comes to helping people.”

“There's a lot of times when I shouldn't have been here. I go, 'Man, I'm blessed.' I've had people shoot at me and had all kinds of stuff happen, and somehow I'm still here, and other people are not.”

“I always have my group of friends at the gym. We used to go hang out somewhere before. Now we're just hanging out at the gym. We have sparring parties where everyone beats each other up, but then we all eat my dad's cooking, and I hire a massage therapist, so everyone is just kicking back and having a good time. I just keep the environment great.”