In an unexpected turn of events, Brian Ortega was forced to withdraw from his UFC 303 co-main event fight with Diego Lopes due to illness. Dan Ige, who was not initially scheduled to compete, stepped in to replace Ortega.
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The fight, contested at a catchweight of 165 pounds, ended with Lopes winning by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
This marked a historic moment in UFC history as it was the first time a fighter replaced 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 quickly agreed to proceed with the match, ensuring the fight card continued despite the last-minute change.
“It doesn’t matter — eight weeks, six weeks, four weeks, four hours,” Ige said in his Octagon interview after the fight. “It doesn’t matter. This is what I live for. This is my dream. I get to wake up and do what I love.”
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Ige’s involvement came about when he heard the co-main event was at risk. He sent a direct message to UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell at 4:18 p.m., less than three hours before the main card started.
“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 after the UFC had to shuffle fighters 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.
Ortega looked noticeably unwell at the official weigh-in on Friday morning, and reports began to surface about his illness as UFC 303 was underway.
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