Dustin Ortiz

Released by UFC
FlyweightOther
February 5, 2019
Ortiz was removed from the UFC rankings on Tuesday and apparently released by the promotion, Aaron Bronsteter of TSN.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
No official announcement of his release has been made, but fellow fighter Henry Cejudo confirmed the move in a recent interview. Ortiz lost to Joseph Benavidez by unanimous decision in January but had won his previous three bouts and had a decent 8-6 record with the UFC since signing with the promotion in 2013.
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Falls to Joseph Benavidez for second time
FlyweightOther
January 19, 2019
Ortiz lost to Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Brooklyn.
ANALYSIS
As was the case when the two first met in November 2014, Ortiz fought respectably but didn't do enough to win. It's been the story of the 30-year-old's career. Ortiz has continuously beaten up on lesser competition and struggled when the stakes are raised. Now 14 fights into his UFC run, Ortiz is still looking for that one career-defining victory. With the future of the flyweights undetermined, Ortiz's next move remains up in the air. Saturday's loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Ortiz.
Booked for January fight
FlyweightOther
December 15, 2018
Ortiz will take on Joseph Benavidez on Jan. 19 at the Barclays Center, Ryan Gerbosi of Newsday reports.
ANALYSIS
Ortiz is looking for a fourth straight victory after besting Hector Sandoval, Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau over the past 15 months. The soon-to-be 30-year-old will come into this bout with an 8-5 record in the promotion but should be in line for one of his toughest tests to date. Benavidez recently took down Alex Perez at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale in Las Vegas in late November and has only dropped three out of his 16 fights in the UFC.
Takes out Matheus Nicolau Saturday in Calgary
FlyweightOther
July 28, 2018
Ortiz defeated Matheus Nicolau via KO (strikes) at 3:49 of Round 1 at UFC on FOX 30 on Saturday in Calgary.
ANALYSIS
Long viewed as one of the more underrated flyweight fighters on the UFC roster, Ortiz now finds himself in the top-10 and that ranking will only rise after Saturday's strong effort. Ortiz is a good wrestler, has underrated power, is extremely durable, and has plenty of experience against high-level competition. The 29-year-old is a dark horse candidate to have title-implicating fights in 2019.
Added to Calgary card
FlyweightOther
May 2, 2018
Ortiz will take on Matheus Nicolau in a flyweight matchup at UFC Calgary on July 28, Danny Austin of the Calgary Sun reports.
ANALYSIS
Ortiz is coming off back-to-back victories that have propelled him to the No. 10 spot in the promotions 125-pound rankings. He'll draw the No. 11-ranked fighter in Nicolau, who is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Louis Smokla and John Moraga. Ortiz surely has the experience edge having fought in the UFC since 2013, but he'll be facing a younger fighter and conceding slight height and reach advantages.
Rebounds from tough start to decision Alexandre Pantoja
FlyweightOther
January 20, 2018
Ortiz defeated Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC 220 on Saturday in Boston.
ANALYSIS
Ortiz could have thrown in the towel after a first round in which he was dominated on the mat, but he rebounded and turned the tables on a befuddled Pantoja over the final ten minutes. Ortiz was credited with seven takedowns on twelve attempts and he ended up with a 92-49 edge in total strikes, most of which occurred when he was dominating Pantoja on the mat in Rounds 2 and 3. The main issue throughout Ortiz's career hasn't been his talent level, but his struggles with consistency. It's always two steps forward and one step back. Saturday's victory is two in a row, let's see if he can make it three his next time out.