Real Meaning Behind Brian Ortega’s Nickname ‘T-City’

Brian Ortega is set to fight former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC’s return to Southeast Asia with UFC Shanghai. It’s an opportunity for him to get back in his winning ways after losing his last fight almost a year ago. But besides the recent dip in consistency inside the Octagon, Ortega has built a pretty big fan base for himself in the MMA world, but there’s one thing that some of those fans may not know about their favorite fighter.

Brian Ortega’s personal life has been as open to the public as his UFC career. From ugly breakups to instances of verbal back-and-forth, the fans have seen it all. But did you ever think about what Ortega’s nickname ‘T-City’ means? Well, let’s find out ahead of his return to action this weekend.

Why is Brian Ortega called ‘T-City’? Who gave him this moniker?

Brian Ortega has trained under the famous Gracie name. When he was just about the age of 15, his Jiu-Jitsu coach, Rener Gracie, gave him the nickname ‘T-City’. Of course, it wasn’t just something that was given away to him. Ortega rightfully earned the nickname for himself. He once noted that he was the smallest guy in the gym and would choke out just about everyone who came his way. A triangle choke here and there would eventually earn him the moniker that he still goes by today. Clearly, his Jiu-Jitsu prowess is still amazing.

“It comes from Rener Gracie. He gave it to me when I was about 15 years old. Because I was the smallest guy in the academy, just a little kid, and I would throw my legs up in the air and choke out everyone with a triangle. So one time we went bowling, and you know how you put your name on the bowling screen? He put Triangle City, and then I just made it smaller to T-City. That’s what it means,” Brian Ortega once stated.

The name has stuck, and it means a lot, too. Brian Ortega is a black belt under the same coach as the Gracie family. A family well known for perfecting the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Out of his 16 professional MMA victories, 8 have come from submissions. But let’s take a look at the days when training started becoming normal for Ortega.

More about Brian Ortega’s early training days

Brian Ortega’s parents, Martin and Patricia, hail from Mexico but moved to the United States. Growing up, the featherweight star, along with his family, lived in a Section 8 housing project, which is when his father taught him the importance of survival. It was ‘T-City’s father who introduced him to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and that planted the seed for him to become the star that he is today in the UFC.

As we’ve mentioned already, Brian Ortega was first exposed to BJJ when he was 13 years old, but as he turned 15, he started training with the Gracies. Thereafter, when Ortega turned 17, he started his boxing training, as he continued to work on his ground game as well. A month before he turned 19, the UFC featherweight fighter competed in his first pro MMA fight, which he won in the first round via submission.

Well, at 34 years old, Brian Ortega has done almost everything a fighter can do in the UFC, except win the title. Time is ticking away, and it would be better if he started that process with a win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC Shanghai. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.