UFC Promotes Upcoming Fights With Media Luncheon

Top featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and Cub Swanson met with several members of the media to answer questions about their upcoming UFC event that will be held at the Savemart Center on Dec. 9.

The luncheon to promote the event was held Oct. 19 at The Elbow Room in Fig Garden Village. Both headliners were present, along with UFC flyweight and Central Valley native Alex Perez.

Perez was born in Hanford, originally trained out of Lemoore and will be making his debut in the UFC on fight night.

“I wrestled for West Hills Lemoore college at at Fresno City College and the Selland Arena a couple of times,” said Perez. “It feels good to finally fight in the UFC and now it’s in Fresno, so it’s exciting.”

Perez was also featured on the UFC Fight Pass original series, “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series”, where he earned his shot to fight in the UFC.

A lifelong wrestler, Perez is an impressive grappler who is quickly becoming a well-rounded elite fighter.

“I wrestled in high school and junior college as well…I don’t just practice one thing, we practice Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling and Jiu Jitsu all the time.”

Swanson and Ortega spoke about their upcoming matchup and the implications of either of their victories.

Swanson is a long time UFC veteran who has faced the best of the best in the UFC’s competitive featherweight division. Riding a four fight win streak, Swanson believes that an impressive win over the undefeated Ortega could earn him a featherweight title shot.

Swanson also remains open to fighting in the UFC’s lightweight division to pursue matchups.

“I’ve definitely seen myself doing 155 in the future, but I’ve been doing so well at 145, I see myself here for a while,” Swanson said.

However, Swanson’s priority at the moment is Ortega: “He’s an undefeated fighter, so he’s got a lot of confidence and that’s always huge. I think we’re both California guys who like to throwdown, so that’s exciting.”

Ortega boasts an impressive undefeated record of 12-0 with 4 finished in the UFC. The young, up-and-coming fighter looks forward to facing the seasoned Swanson in Ortega’s first five round fight in the UFC.

“This is a huge step up. Cub has fought the best of the best, so for me to share the octagon with someone like that is a huge honor and pleasure,” Ortega said.

Ortega is known for his outstanding submission and ever-expanding MMA game and while Swanson may have a fully developed arsenal from years of fighting, both are always seeking to improve in the octagon.

While no fists or even verbal jabs were thrown at the luncheon, the two California fighters said they’re ready to put on a show Dec. 9 for the people of Fresno.

“I’ve been asking the UFC to fight closer to home,” Swanson said. “They promised me a couple of fights ago, and then I fought in Toronto. This year I get to be closer to home.”