UFC 222: Why Frankie Edgar sees a lot of himself in opponent Brian Ortega

Frankie Edgar is among the last of the UFC’s old guard still thriving in mixed martial arts.

The New Jersey native was at the forefront of the sport when sponsors covered shorts, commissions had a true unified ruleset and fighters let their work in the cage do the talking.

In Brian Ortega, his late-replacement opponent for Saturday’s UFC 222 in Las Vegas, Edgar sees a bit of himself and the fighters who thrived in a time that seems long gone.

“He’s a throwback to being a respectful guy and he kind of reminds me of myself,” Edgar said. “I’m not one to gloat and tell you ‘I’m the best’ and say, ‘I deserve this, I deserve that.’ I’m going to go out there and earn it and now he wants to go out there and earn it and he’s going to get that shot.”

Edgar, the former UFC lightweight champion, was expected to face featherweight champion Max Holloway for the 145-pound title, but an injured Holloway pulled out four weeks ahead of the fight.

Instead of waiting for Holloway to heal, Edgar (22-5-1) insisted on booking another fight for UFC 222, his first since last May.

Enter Ortega, who quietly has climbed to No. 3 in the featherweight rankings with an unbeaten professional record, but patiently has waited his turn at the division’s elite.

“After his last fight, he said, ‘I’m not one to jump the line [for a title shot], Frankie deserves it.’ You don’t hear that ever. From anybody,” Edgar said. “He’s not much of a talker, he wants to let his fighting do his talking in there.”

Ortega (13-0, 1 NC) is a bit of a throwback in the cage as well. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Rener Gracie, Ortega has overwhelmed the competition with his submission game, including three choke finishes in his five UFC wins. (Ortega also won his UFC debut by rear-naked choke in July 2014, but the result was overturned to a no contest after Ortega tested positive for a banned substance.)

Ortega’s submissions are flashy and eye-opening, but Edgar says the 27-year-old has developed a well-rounded game as his career has progressed.

“You’ve seen his last fight, man. He was opportunistic grabbing those submissions, but he slugged it out with Cub [Swanson], he slugged it out with Clay Guida. He doesn’t mind throwing, he’s in there mixing it up, he has that fighter in him.”

While Ortega continues to make a name for himself, Edgar struggling in a fight against an opponent without many marquee victories could jeopardize his chance at the title, but Edgar said every fight comes with its own hazards.

“If I think I’m the best guy in the world, which I do, I should be able to beat anybody at any time. That’s how it is,” Edgar said. “There’s always risk. Everyone says ‘you have risk of losing to him,’ I had risk of losing to the No. 1 guy in the world too. I don’t want to lose and I don’t care who it is. If it’s the guy down the street or if it’s the world champion, I don’t want to lose. To me, that loss hurts no matter who it is. So there’s always risk.”

A late opponent change presents other problems for Edgar, but he said the similarities between Ortega and Holloway have made the switch rather seamless.

“Luckily, they’re both kind of long, rangy guys, Max is probably a little bit longer. Everybody talks about Ortega’s jiu-jitsu, which is top-notch and very good, but Max is no slouch on the ground either,” Edgar said. “I was expecting a guy who was crafty on the ground to begin with so I was kind of trending that way, maybe a little more emphasis on it now because it’s Ortega. But I don’t really worry so much about those guys, I’ve gotta worry about what I want to implement. Usually, that’s the same with whoever we’re fighting.”