Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today Sports
An exciting flyweight bout, with a lot of implications for the winner, takes place next week between Dustin Ortiz and John Moraga. The winner of this fight puts their name in the hat to challenge for the title, since the division is new and relatively thin in terms of contenders.
Moraga had the chance of a lifetime against Demetrious Johnson, as it was for the flyweight belt. He came up short, however, getting submitted, by way of armbar, in the fourth round. The loss seems to have motivated Moraga, who will be looking to make a statement in his bout with Ortiz. Moraga is one of the biggest punchers in the division, and it’s going to be interesting to see what adjustments he has made since his championship bout. He’s currently ranked fourth in the division, so he has a lot to lose in this bout.
Ortiz comes into this fight off a win over Jose Maria. He ended up getting the TKO in the third round, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as it was his first win inside the UFC. He’s going to be taking a huge step up in competition, but if he can get a victory over Moraga, he becomes a title contender. Ortiz is a viable prospect, and he’s a superb wrestler, who may have the strength advantage over Moraga when they square off.
Both guys are fighting for a chance to fight for the title, so their wills to win will be at an all-time high, making this a fight to look forward to next week.
Jeremy Green is a MMA and NFL contributor at RantSports. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.
