Dreams are becoming reality for undefeated Spokane MMA welterweight Jaden Ortega.<\/p>\n
When Ortega (5-0) faces Ricardo Chavez (28-24) in Burbank, California, in Thursday\u2019s Combate Global matchup, it will mark the first fight on a recently signed contract with the largest Hispanic MMA promotion in the United States.<\/p>\n
The contract, signed last August, is a five-fight deal over two years. This marks Ortega\u2019s first multi-fight pact \u2013 a milestone in his blossoming career.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It was) definitely a big decision for me,\u201d Ortega said of agreeing to the deal. \u201cIt was definitely a big, big step forward-type feeling for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
It seemed to be an easy decision for Combate Global to sign Ortega after his three electrifying fights with the promotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was solid, he was (a) really strong, young guy,\u2019\u201d Combate Global Senior Vice President of Operations and Communications Michael Afromowitz said. \u201cI said, \u2018He\u2019s perfect for us.\u2019 \u2026 I gave him a couple more fights, and then we decided to sign (him to an) exclusive deal with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
With this contract comes a new sense of responsibility for the 23-year-old, says Ortega\u2019s strength and conditioning coach, Dr. Dylan Lemery.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Ortega) has transitioned from a young kid that had dreams to make it to the highest level, to now a grown man that really believes he\u2019s going to do it,\u201d Lemery said.<\/p>\n
Ortega, a Gonzaga Prep graduate, has been \u201cthe most serious he\u2019s ever been,\u201d according to his head coach, Rich Little.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been in the gym six days a week,\u201d Little said.<\/p>\n
Formerly, Ortega was a standout G-Prep football player who received an offer from Washington State University to play for its team as a preferred walk-on.<\/p>\n
Instead of getting lost in that sport, the 23-year-old took a chance to pursue MMA greatness.<\/p>\n
Now, Ortega puts his spotless professional record on the line against Mexico\u2019s \u201cWoody\u201d Chavez.<\/p>\n
Despite Chavez losing almost as many times as he\u2019s won, Little thinks it\u2019s Ortega\u2019s \u201cmost dangerous fight\u201d yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 50-50 fighter usually fights anybody \u2026 they\u2019re willing to take some chances,\u201d Little said. \u201c(Chavez has) had 50-plus fights to feel out a lot of good talent \u2026 so (Chavez) definitely is not going to be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both athletes prefer to trade blows rather than grapple. Ortega has secured four first-round finishes and Chavez holds 13 first-round finishes \u2013 all to strikes.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The fight will) stay on the feet 100%, unless I choose to take him down,\u201d Ortega said. \u201cI\u2019ve never been taken down, and it\u2019s not going to start this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chavez, who normally fights at 205 pounds, will be cutting down to the welterweight division of 170 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good test of who Jaden is as an athlete,\u201d Lemery said. \u201c(Ortega\u2019s) biggest attribute is his ability to be explosive and end the fight at a second\u2019s notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his last fight, Ortega knocked out Ivan Castillo (25-18) 44 seconds into the headlining fight. The majority of his wins, professional and amateur, have finished via strikes in the first round.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the king of timing,\u201d Little said. \u201cHe knows when to rush in and when not to rush in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-1 Ortega has a 1-inch height advantage over Chavez. Since Chavez typically fights at a heavier weight, Ortega will likely have to contend with a weight disadvantage following Chavez\u2019s rehydration after weigh-ins.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Chavez) is very tough, throws hard, but I believe Jaden will be able to catch him off guard,\u201d Little said.<\/p>\n
Despite Chavez\u2019s ranking as the top light heavyweight in Mexico and Canada, Ortega isn\u2019t worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it as just another stepping stone to becoming the best,\u201d Ortega said. \u201cIf I can finish camp knowing that I did everything in my power to prepare myself, then there\u2019s no reason that I can\u2019t be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
What really excites Ortega is the chance to fight in his former home state of California.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be the first time I get to fight live in front of my brothers, my sister, my cousin, my nieces \u2013 a lot of my family,\u201d Ortega said. \u201cI\u2019m excited that they get to see all the work I put in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Combate Global: Mendez vs Padron takes place in Burbank, California, and can be streamed live in English on the YouTube channel \u201cFIGHTTIPS\u201d starting at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dreams are becoming reality for undefeated Spokane MMA welterweight Jaden Ortega. When Ortega (5-0) faces Ricardo Chavez (28-24)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499773,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":["post-499772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}