Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC through Getty Pictures
In a historic second for the UFC, Dan Ige is stepping in to battle Diego Lopes within the UFC 303 co-main occasion after Brian Ortega withdrew simply hours earlier than the battle as a result of sickness.
The promotion introduced the transfer after UFC insider Ariel Helwani reported {that a} battle between Lopes and Ige was within the works relatively than the scheduled occasion of Lopes vs. Ortega.
That is the s–t legends are fabricated from,” UFC president Dana White stated of the newly-booked battle.
UFC @ufc
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
Dan Ige is stepping in on 3 HOURS NOTICE to face Diego Lopes within the #UFC303 co-main occasion.
Brian Ortega has withdrawn as a result of sickness.
[ Watch LIVE on ESPN+ PPV | 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/Q9FSaULiEL
Helwani also noted that Ige did not weigh in yesterday, so the last-minute switch was highly unprecedented.
According to Helwani, Ige’s group obtained phrase of the tried change round 7:30 p.m. ET, about 4 hours forward of when he would want to battle.
Shortly after his authentic report, Helwani stated that Ige was within the enviornment and related events stated “they really feel assured” the battle would occur.
With the battle being a monumental second in UFC historical past, a number of fighters have been fast to react, together with Sean O’Malley:
Sean O’Malley @SugaSeanMMA
Unbelievable. Shout out Suga state athletic fee for permitting this. Ige and Lopes are fuckin gangsters
michael @bisping
Imagine this. You wake up and just go about your day, grab breakfast whatever. Later that day you’ve signed to fight THAT NIGHT in the co main event of ufc 303!!! Insane. Also no pressure on @Dynamitedan808 unbelievable. Huge respect.
The lightweight fight between Lopes and Ortega was a co-main card event, making the unprecedented turnaround time even more baffling. As Helwani famous, last-minute replacements have occurred in mid-card bouts, however are uncommon amongst fights of such magnitude.
Ortega got here into the weekend seeking to win a second consecutive battle after beating Yair Rodríguez at UFC Combat Night time in February. Lopes has received three consecutive fights, his newest coming in opposition to Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300 in April.
Ige is coming off a win in opposition to Andre Fili at UFC Combat Night time in February.