‘He Couldn’t Recover’

Former featherweight title challenger, Brian Ortega, was asked to compete on super short notice against red-hot 145-pound contender Diego Lopes as part of the UFC 303 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Las Vegas. Their hastily-assembled showdown was booked to fill the co-headlining slot left vacant by this last-minute disaster.

Unfortunately for Ortega — who was already planning a move to lightweight — the cut down to 145 pounds left him worse for the wear. The promotion managed to rework the weights to keep “T-City” on the card, but he was unable to stay healthy enough to compete on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in “Sin City.”

So what happened?

“He caught a terrible fever over the last few days from his body being run down from cutting on 15 days’ notice and 30-plus pounds,” Ariel Helwani revealed on The MMA Hour after speaking to Ortega’s manager. “He couldn’t recover or keep anything down.”

Ortega out, “legends” in.

Stepping in for Ortega was longtime featherweight contender Dan Ige, who came off the bench on just two hours’ notice to battle Lopes in the UFC 303 co-main event. Their action-packed showdown ended with a unanimous decision victory in favor of the Brazilian. No question Ige was well compensated for his last-minute efforts.

A timeline for Ortega’s Octagon return has yet to be determined.