One of the most bizarre moments in UFC history happened this past weekend at UFC 303, when Brian Ortega withdrew from his scheduled co-main event, with Dan Ige stepping in on just four hours’ notice.
Brian Ortega was booked to fight Diego Lopes in a featherweight at UFC 303 on just two weeks’ notice, despite the fact he was preparing to move up to lightweight for his next fight.
The fight was then changed to be contested at 155lbs after ‘T-City’ told the UFC he couldn’t make 145lbs, with Lopes being contacted in the early morning before the official weigh-ins.
Things then went from bad to worse, as on fight day the former featherweight title challenger withdrew from the fight after falling ill. Dan Ige stepped in on just four hours notice, making the 12th annual International Fight Week a memorable one.
Brian Ortega releases a statement following his UFC 303 withdrawal
At the UFC 303 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO, Dana White, speculated that the 33-year-old seemed off during fight week and during his media day interviews, which led to people wondering why he withdrew.
Since then, Ortega has came out for the first time, explaining the events from his point of view.
“I’m feeling much better, thank you all for the love. Come fight week I felt off and I didn’t feel right, I thought it was just the residual effects from the cut,” Ortega began to explain on his Instagram.
‘T-City’ revealed that when he was offered the fight 15 days out, he weighed 178lbs, meaning he had to cut 32lbs. A day before the weigh-ins, Ortega admitted that he was 151lbs and couldn’t get any lower, that’s when the bout was changed to 155lbs.
After weighing in at 155lbs, Ortega imagined he would begin to feel better after rehydrating and eating, however, things didn’t improve.
“Later on that night I still felt off and was suffering from cold sweats and no sleep. Finally I fell asleep at 6am Saturday morning and woke up at 1pm hoping to feel better.
“I could not keep any food or water down nor could I stand up to use the restroom. I struggled with my own ego, got on a call with Tiki (manager) and Hunter (Campbell) and I made the decision to call off the fight.
“I dared to do something crazy for the love of fighting, but I got sick and my body gave out on me,” Ortega continued.
Diego Lopes slams former opponent following UFC 303 win
Ortega’s original opponent, Diego Lopes, stayed on the card astonishingly and went on to beat Ige who stepped in on four hours notice.
Following the fight, Lopes’ former opponent, Movsar Evloev, took to X to state that he wanted a rematch against Lopes and went on to discredit his performance against Ige.
“Diego you lost six times, you’ve been knocked out by two guys, bums. Dan Ige took a fight on 4 hours’ notice and in the third round he exposed you. Don’t talk too much you trash!” Evloev claimed.
The Brazilian fan favorite retaliated by saying: “On Saturday night, Dan and I did something you would never do in your life. You’ve only had one fight in 13 months. You have no right to anything. First you seek to finish someone, or at least try to get a submission.”
The 29-year-old is hoping to get on the UFC 306 card at the Sphere on September 14 and has called for a fight against former champion, Alexander Volkanovski, if Ortega won’t be ready for their fight to be re-booked.
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