Brian Ortega out of UFC 303; Lopes tops late fill-in Dan Ige

Brian Ortega out of UFC 303; Lopes tops late fill-in Dan Ige

  • Andreas Hale, ESPNJun 30, 2024, 01:46 AM

LAS VEGAS — In an unprecedented transfer, Brian Ortega was compelled to withdraw from his UFC 303 co-main occasion struggle with Diego Lopes attributable to sickness and was changed by Dan Ige, who was not scheduled to compete on the cardboard.

The struggle was contested at a catchweight of 165 kilos, with Lopes successful by unanimous determination (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

This marked the primary time one fighter stepped as much as exchange one other on the day of a struggle with out weighing within the day earlier than. Ige, who was in attendance at T-Cellular Area, managed to weigh in at 164.5 kilos simply hours earlier than the struggle, whereas Lopes weighed in at 161.5 kilos. Each events unexpectedly agreed to make the struggle occur and preserve an injury-stricken struggle card rolling.

“It would not matter — eight weeks, six weeks, 4 weeks, 4 hours,” Ige stated in his Octagon interview after Saturday’s struggle. “It would not matter. That is what I stay for. That is my dream. I get to get up and do what I really like.”

As soon as Ige heard that the co-main occasion was in jeopardy, he despatched a direct message to UFC chief enterprise officer Hunter Campbell at 4:18 p.m., lower than three hours earlier than the beginning of the principle card.

“Hey Hunter, I have been in camp for 3 months,” the message learn. “I am the healthiest I’ve ever been, I can struggle this man tonight and beat him. That is what legends are fabricated from. I am in. I am prepared. I am in nice form. Please do not take this chance away from me.”

Ortega was tabbed to face Lopes within the co-main occasion on quick discover after the UFC was despatched scrambling when Conor McGregor’s damaged toe compelled him out of the principle occasion towards Michael Chandler simply over two weeks earlier than the occasion. Ortega had problem chopping weight for the scheduled featherweight struggle at 145 kilos and negotiated to bump the struggle as much as light-weight (155 kilos) early Friday morning.

Ortega regarded noticeably out of it on the official weigh-in on Friday morning, and stories started to floor that he was coping with an sickness as UFC 303 was underway.

Ige competed for the primary time since beating Andre Fili by first-round knockout in February.