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| Brian Ortega , 2016 |
LAS VEGAS -- In an unprecedented move, Brian Ortega was forced to withdraw from his UFC 303 co-main event fight against Diego Lopes due to illness, and Dan Ige, who was not scheduled to compete on the card, stepped in as a last-minute replacement.
The bout was contested at a catchweight of 165 pounds, with Lopes securing a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
This marked the first time a fighter stepped in to replace another on the day of a fight without weighing in the day before. Ige, who was in attendance at T-Mobile Arena, managed to weigh in at 164.5 pounds just hours before the fight, while Lopes weighed in at 161.5 pounds. Both fighters hastily agreed to make the bout happen, ensuring the fight card continued despite the last-minute changes.
"It doesn't matter -- eight weeks, six weeks, four weeks, four hours," Ige said in his Octagon interview after the fight. "This is what I live for. This is my dream. I get to wake up and do what I love."
Once Ige heard that the co-main event was in jeopardy, he sent a direct message to UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell at 4:18 p.m., less than three hours before the start of the main card.
"Hey Hunter, I've been in camp for 3 months," the message read. "I'm the healthiest I've ever been, I can fight this guy tonight and beat him. This is what legends are made of. I'm in. I'm ready. I'm in great shape. Please don't take this opportunity away from me."
Ortega was originally set to face Lopes in the co-main event on short notice after the UFC had to scramble when Conor McGregor's broken toe forced him out of the main event against Michael Chandler just over two weeks before the event. Ortega had difficulty cutting weight for the scheduled featherweight fight at 145 pounds and negotiated to bump the fight up to lightweight (155 pounds) early Friday morning.
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| Alexander Volkanovski def. Brian Ortega at UFC 266: Best photos |
Ortega looked noticeably unwell at the official weigh-in on Friday morning, and reports began to surface that he was dealing with an illness as UFC 303 was underway.
Ige competed for the first time since his first-round knockout victory over Andre Fili in February.
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