Brian Ortega Says He’s On Good Terms With Dana White

Brian Ortega and UFC president Dana White appear to be on solid terms again.

Ortega is scheduled to challenge UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway for the 145-pound gold on Dec. 8. The title bout is scheduled to headline UFC 231 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It’ll be the second attempt at booking this fight as the two were initially set to meet at UFC 226 back in July.

When Holloway pulled out of the fight at UFC 226, Ortega was offered a bout against Jeremy Stephens. “T-City” turned down the fight and decided to wait for Holloway. Many felt White was being passive aggressive about Ortega’s decision when he asked “T-City’s” manager Ed Soares in front of fans if Ortega would take the fight. Ortega also had to speak up to be compensated for the time he put into the camp. Speaking to reporters, Ortega said it’s all water under the bridge now:

“Everything is all patched up. Dana is cool. It’s a business, and I sometimes take it personal. That’s who I am. After the fact, we kept talking, we kept in touch, and we squashed everything out. We’re on good terms, and it makes sense to make this the main event. I’m the No. 1 contender.”

Ortega recently revealed that he’s guaranteed a title opportunity whether Holloway shows up to UFC 231 or not. That also means it’s stated in the contract that should Holloway not be able to compete on Dec. 8, he’ll be stripped of his featherweight title.