Losing in sports is always hard, but there may not be any sports harder to lose in than MMA.
MMA is a place where you literally give it everything you’ve got, and when you lose you are likely hurting in more ways than one. That was the case for Brian Ortega when he fell short against Max Holloway, and to make matters even more heartbreaking, it was a title bout – AND his first loss.
All of that is an extremely tough to swallow. Believe it or not, it gets worse. The stoppage was due to a doctor’s stoppage, which is very rarely the way a fighter wants their bid to end. Ortega had been beaten up over the four rounds, but he did show moments of resilience where he would sting Holloway. He didn’t get that opportunity in round five – his eye had swollen too far shut.
Following the crushing defeat, Ortega shared an emotional post, claiming he was willing to die in there.
It’s hard to argue the stoppage. A wound as nasty as Ortega’s is hard to ignore, especially when it seemed like Holloway had taken over the fight and was hitting Ortega at will.
Either way, a doctor’s stoppage is an extremely crushing way to be defeated.
(H/T FTW)
