The UFC Shanghai weigh-ins almost went without a hitch.
The UFC returns to China this weekend for a UFC Fight Night event headlined by light heavyweight KO artists Johnny Walker and Mingyang Zhang.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is set to meet two-time title challenger Brian Ortega in the co-main event, which is scheduled for five rounds.
Ortega and Sterling were the final fighters to arrive to the weigh-ins on Friday and there was much speculation and rumors online that the bout had been cancelled.
Rest assured that’s not the case, but Ortega vs. Sterling will no longer be a featherweight bout at UFC Shanghai.
Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling moved to lightweight at UFC Shanghai
Prior to the co-main, 24 fighters made it to the scales at the UFC Shanghai weigh-ins, with no weight misses from any of them.
Originally scheduled for featherweight (145 lbs), the UFC announced on Friday that Ortega vs. Sterling will now be contested at a catchweight of 153 lbs.
Sterling, a former bantamweight champion, was essentially at lightweight for his weigh-in.
“The show goes on,” Sterling wrote on X.
Ortega was a lightweight last summer when he was about to fight Diego Lopes at UFC 303. Ortega asked the UFC if he could fight up a weight class after he struggled to make the featherweight limit. The UFC obliged but Ortega ultimately withdrew on fight night.
Given his history, there’s a chance Ortega asked the UFC for a catchweight against Sterling at the last minute.
Fans were shocked to see Ortega depleted at a higher weight class, expressing concern for how the fighter’s weight cut went.
“Are we sure Ortega is good to go..? one fan asked on X.
“Ortega looks roughhhhh,” another fan said.
“Bro looks dead,” a fan said of Ortega’s appearance.
“Maybe it’s time for Ortega to go to lightweight.. not the first time they’ve had to do this with Ortega,” another fan wrote.
Ortega could be looking at a move to lightweight (155 lbs) after this audible.
UFC Shanghai continues with 13 fights
A fight between top-10 contenders and high-level grapplers, Ortega vs. Sterling is arguably the most anticipated fight of the card.
Unlike most other co-main events, Ortega and Sterling are scheduled for five rounds. Fans have called their fight the people’s main event over Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang.
UFC Shanghai has 13 fights total, including a heavyweight battle between former interim title challenger Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
Flyweight contender Charles Johnson also defends his #15 ranking against undefeated prospect Lone’er Kavanagh on the undercard.