NEWS

American spitfire Dustin Ortiz is touted as one of the most exciting flyweights in the mixed martial arts world today, putting fans at the edge of their seats with an array of striking skills coupled with solid submission grappling credentials.

The 32-year-old veteran from Franklin, Tennessee hopes to live up to his reputation when he collides with Russian superstar Ali “The King Puncher” Bagautinov in the quarter-final round of the prestigious BRAVE CF Flyweight World Title Tournament. The clash is set to be one of the feature attractions at the much-awaited BRAVE CF 50 set for Thursday, April 1st at the historic Arad Fort in The Kingdom of Bahrain.

Ortiz, who holds a 19-8 professional record and has shared the stage with the who’s who of the flyweight division, could have sat on the sidelines and waited to challenge the winner of the tourney later this year.

However, he opted to take matters into his own hands and earn the right to be called a world champion like a true warrior instead.

“If you are feeling like you are the champ, then you should be able to beat anyone on any given day. My goal is to become the champion of this division, and if I want to be the champ, then I have to be able to step up at any time and beat anyone. Champions train, losers complain,” Ortiz stated.

In his maiden BRAVE CF appearance on Thursday, Ortiz has the opportunity to not only advance to the semi-finals but also achieve the biggest victory of his career yet at the expense of Bagautinov.

Bagautinov needs no introduction to Ortiz as the Russian has been competing for more than a decade and has a wealth of fight experience under various promotions on his resume. 

Ortiz is well aware of the risk that he is taking, but he believes that nothing is impossible.

“Once you’re inside the cage, anything is possible. Believe me, I’ve seen it all. I am ready to shock the world when I return to the cage this week,” he declared.

The victor of the quarter-final showdown between Ortiz and Bagautinov will face Jose “Shorty” Torres in the semi-finals.