UFC 303 Fight Gets Shocking Change Just Before PPV Begins

The UFC 303 card received a shocking change just before the main card began.

Diego Lopes expected to meet Brian Ortega in a featherweight bout originally scheduled inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 29. The weight class was changed to 155 pounds after it became clear that Ortega would not be able to meet the 145-pound limit.

Although it seemed like a crisis had been averted before weigh-in day, that wasn’t actually the case.

Rumors were circulating that Ortega would be replaced by Dan Ige with only a short time left before the PPV portion of UFC 303.

The rumors were correct.

UFC 303: ALEX PEREIRA VS. JIŘÍ PROCHÁZKA 2 LIVE RESULTS & HIGHLIGHTS

Amid the rumors, @MagicM_MMABets account ‘X’ reported that Dan Ige was indeed replacing Brian Ortega to fight Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303. The announcement was made during the prelims broadcast of UFC 303 on ESPN.

UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik revealed that Brian Ortega woke up with a fever and his temperature of 103 degrees did not drop over time.

It’s a stunning feat for UFC executives considering the fight change was put in place at the absolute 11th hour. Many questions were raised prior to the announcement about how exactly Ige would be cleared by the NSAC to compete given the circumstances.

Anik explained that Ige had indeed weighed in and was cleared without issue. Megan Olivi then interviewed NSAC’s Jeff Mullen, who explained that Ige’s medicals were already being recorded due to his fight in February.

Lopes vs. Ige will be a 165-pound catchweight bout. Ige weighed in at 164.5 pounds, while Lopes weighed in at 161 pounds.

Check back to the MMA Knockout homepage on Sports Illustrated for continued coverage of the UFC 303 card.

FREE LIVE STREAM UFC 303: PEREIRA VS. PROCHAZKA 2, ORTEGA VS. LOPES (WATCH LIVE)

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