One thing UFC president Dana White is particularly proud of is ensuring nobody in his organization gets a "tune-up" fight. He believes this separates the UFC from other combat sports leagues, and from the world of contemporary boxing in particular, by keeping competition high and preventing fighters from getting padded resumes.

For fans, this is a good thing. For fighters, less so – especially fighters in the position of Brian "T-City" Ortega. Ortega had an undefeated streak of 14-0 with one No Contest that lasted from 2010 to 2018. His loss to then-UFC men's featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018, was due to a doctor's stoppage. It was an anticlimactic end to his hot streak, not so much because of the loss itself, but because it would be the last round Ortega would fight for almost two years.

Ortega took almost a year to recuperate from his injuries. During that time, he got into a heated rivalry with Jung Chan-sung, better known to MMA fans as The Korean Zombie (TKZ). Even though it was revealed that it was orchestrated by TKZ's translator Jay Park, it drew a lot of attention, and a fight was signed for UFC Fight Night: Busan on December 21, 2019.

An ACL tear forced Ortega to pull out on December 4. That should have been the end of the feud: The trash talk had been revealed to be a put-on, and Ortega was out of action. However, several days later, in an ESPN interview, TKZ said he thought Ortega was ducking him.

Certain people in MMA don't take kindly to that sort of banter. Conor McGregor found out the hard way with Khabib Nurmagomedov in the cage, Leon Edwards found out with Jorge Masvidal backstage at UFC Fight Night London, and Jay Park found out when Ortega walked up to him in the crowd and slapped him at UFC 248 on March 7 this year. The hype was now real, and there could only be one fight for Ortega's return.

That fight took place at UFC Fight Island 6 on October 18, 2020. After almost two years on the shelf, and with a point to prove, all eyes were on Ortega. The two men are known as brawlers, so it was expected that Ortega would start fast. Instead, Round 1 was almost entirely a feeling out process with Ortega using his jab to set up harder strikes that found their target later into the round.

The chess match ended a minute into Round 2 when TKZ sprinted over and tried punch combinations on Ortega's chin. Ortega said he wanted to be "unrecognizable" in this fight, and he showed it. Instead of being drawn into a slugfest, he maintained his composure and built on the jab and jab feints of Round 1 with takedown attempts and feints. TKZ, usually a bulldozer, now looked timid, unsure when to pull the trigger to avoid caught in Ortega's excellent jiujitsu. With barely 60 seconds remaining, he reverted to type and tried another bullrush, only to find himself on the receiving end of a pinpoint reverse elbow.

TKZ survived the round, and the remainder of the fight proved "Zombie" isn't just a nickname. It was given to Chan because he's notoriously resilient, but following that second round elbow, he really became dead inside. Even when he had Ortega pinned against the cage, his head was still, and his feet were flat.

From there, the only differences in rounds 3, 4 and 5 were how much damage Ortega inflicted on TKZ and how far ahead of him he pulled in terms of points. TKZ only wanted to apply pressure and swing for the fences. Meanwhile, Ortega mixed all his skills to run rings around TKZ and pulverize him. In Round 3, he chased TKZ across the Octagon, hunting for a takedown, only to release when he was expected to pull down and instead cut TKZ open with a punishing right hook.

In the final round, TKZ was so confused by Ortega's offense that he found himself getting hit by simple right and left straights. When the final bell rang, it was no surprise that Ortega won by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45). What was surprising was how good Ortega was. It didn't matter that he didn't get a tune-up fight; he didn't need one. He hasn't been gone for 22 months, he's been preparing for 22 months, and now he's better than ever.