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LOS ANGELES – Brian Ortega isn’t a UFC champion yet. He still has a little matter of Max Holloway in front of him.

But already, the featherweight title challenger seems like he’ll be more than comfortable playing the role of champ if he’s able to pull off a mild upset next week in the UFC 226 co-main event.

“Yeah, I was (flying under the radar for a while),” Ortega told media members at a lunch today in Los Angeles. “I’m always laid back, trust me. It comes with the territory – (I’ll) have a target on (my) back if I’m successful July 7. Even if not, it’s still a target on (my) back because I’m still ranked right there with the best of the best featherweights.

“But there are certain things that come with the belt – more media, just more things you have to do now. And challenge accepted. When I don’t know what something’s about, let me try it. Let me see what it is. … There are things you have to just live it and go through it, and if I become successful (in the title fight), that’s what I’m going to do.”

Ortega (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) puts his unbeaten record on the line against 145-pound champ Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) at UFC 226, which takes place July 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Ortega said he’s also starting to grow accustomed to the extra attention that comes with being a budding superstar in the sport. But he’s not planning on continuing his rise to the top by talking a big game, like some do.

“I’m getting used to it more and more,” Ortega said. “If I’m going to make a name for myself in this game, I need the most eyes on me. If I’m not going to talk like the rest of the world and say stupid and nonsense things, I might as well showcase my work in the cage. And that’s what I’m doing. I’m going in there and pretty much fighting where it’s all eyes on me and show the people what I’m all about and just be me, and I feel like people respect that.”

A lot of that respect came in his most recent fight. At UFC 222 in March, Ortega ran his stoppage streak to six fights. But for the first time in that run, he didn’t have to go out of the first round to get a finish.

After debuting in the UFC with a submission win over Mike De La Torre that was overturned in 2014 when he tested positive for steroids, Ortega won five straight by knockout of submission, including four straight in the third round. In a couple of those fights, his opponents were having their ways with him before he rallied to get a finish in the final frame.

But against Cub Swanson this past December in his first main event, he got a second-round finish. And against Frankie Edgar in March, he finally got over the hump for a first-round finished that required no comeback. And that had people talking because he became the first to stop Edgar, a former lightweight champion.

“I don’t pay attention to it, to be honest,” he said. “I’m happy I made some kind of history again because I had the history for the (most) third-round finishes – which was like, ‘All right, you have something in the (record) books, but it’s not what you want.’ Doing that to Frankie felt like I earned a lot more respect from people after that fight. That’s all I needed, and I liked it. Frankie’s a tough guy.”

Holloway may be tougher. So getting a finish of him would mean the respect and attention really will kick into high gear.

For more from Ortega, check out the full video of his lunch interview above.

And for more more on UFC 226, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.