Dan Ige, who was called in to replace an ailing opponent, loses a tight decision at UFC 303.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hours before his bout with Diego Lopes in the co-main event of UFC 303 was set to take place on Saturday, Brian Ortega was forced to withdraw due to sickness. Dan Ige was brought in as a replacement and lost by decision.
All three judges judged The bout 29–28 in favor of Lopes (25–6).
"I've said before whoever, wherever, I'll fight anybody," Brazilian Lopes declared via a translator.
After his loss, the fans gave Ige (18-8) a standing ovation for his willingness to fill in at short notice.
"I thought, 'This is my chance to become a legend,'" Ige recalled. I'll share this tale with my grandchildren. I'm ecstatic, but I would have loved to have won.
According to White, "there would have been no other options."
This fight serves as a warm-up for the main event, which features top-ranked challenger Jiri Prochazka taking on light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Ortega, according to White, had a temperature and wasn't feeling well. Ige, who trains in Las Vegas but is originally from Honolulu, was already in town getting ready for another bout.
As White put it, "It's all about opportunity." He leaped for it. Who looks sexier than Lopes at the moment?
When he got the call, White joked, Ige was probably lounging on his couch ordering the pay-per-view.
The Nevada Athletic Commission's executive director, Jeff Mullen, told ESPN that Ige's victory in the fight on February 10 in Las Vegas facilitated a quicker approval procedure.
Mullen stated, "We already completed all of his requirements, including his medicals." It was an entirely appropriate matchup. I double-checked that everything was in order with the attorneys.
The actual Ortega-Lopes battle took the place of an earlier planned match. Jamahal Hill suffered a knee injury during training, forcing him to withdraw from his match against Carlos Ulberg.
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