UFC 303 will likely be remembered as one of the most logistically confusing cards in UFC history, and nowhere was that confusion more evident than with Diego Lopez defeating a fighter competing on roughly four hours’ notice.
The rising featherweight star defeated last-minute opponent Dan Ige by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) on Saturday, culminating a co-main event that required four restarts.
Lopez fought strongly in the first and second rounds and had a decisive advantage, but Ige fought bravely in the third, catching the Brazilian with multiple powerful strikes and winning the round.
The bout was made possible by Ige’s last-minute appearance as a co-main event replacement for Brian Ortega. Ortega, who had not been on the card until June 13, was officially announced to have withdrawn midway through the preliminary card due to illness with a 103-degree fever, so UFC decided to have Ige face Lopez to save the card.
The bout, held at a catchweight of 165 pounds, was made possible because Ige was scheduled to fight in Las Vegas three weeks later. Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Jeff Mullen told ESPN that the commission was able to legally approve the fight because Ige’s medical was up to date in the system.
“It’s one of the most unlikely fights in UFC history to have been scheduled so late. Ige told ESPN he was getting a massage when he got a call from UFC executive Hunter Campbell and his manager Ali Abdelaziz.
“Eight weeks, six weeks, four weeks, four hours. It doesn’t matter. This is what I live for. This is my dream. I wake up and do what I love. I was literally getting massages and I get calls from Hunter, Ali and so many other people. They’re like, ‘Hey, do you want to fight tonight?’ I was like, ‘Man, this is my chance to be a legend.’ This is a story I want to tell my grandkids.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased with my performance.”
The loss didn’t hurt Ige, who would have received maximum points from UFC president Dana White just for showing up in the arena. Ticket sales for the event were $15.9 million. 4th highest in UFC history.
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Lopez, either. He was originally scheduled to face Ortega at featherweight, but the veteran asked to move up to lightweight. Then a new opponent came on board, and the bout moved up to 165 pounds. Like Ige, Lopez, speaking through a translator, said the mix-up wasn’t an issue.
“It doesn’t matter who, when or who it is. I’ll fight anybody. I was like, ‘Hey, 145 pounds.’ Then I got the news at 4 in the morning, ‘It’s going to be 155.’ Then today, at 4 in the afternoon, I found out the fight was moved. It doesn’t matter.”
Both fighters are currently receiving maximum praise from the UFC, and both say they are eager to use that to compete at UFC 306 at The Sphere in September.
Conor McGregor, Jamahal Hill and others withdraw from UFC 303
Withdrawals were a frequent talking point at UFC 303. The originally announced card featured Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon against Michael Chandler in the main event, with former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill facing Khalil Rountree Jr. in the co-main event.
Rountree was forced to withdraw from the co-main event due to a supplement tampering incident and was replaced by Carlos Ulberg, then McGregor and Hill withdrew with injuries, leaving the UFC scrambling to decide whether to proceed, with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira vs. former champion Jiri Prochazka taking the new main event, and Lopez vs. Ortega taking the co-main event.
Ulberg was scheduled to face Anthony Smith, but he also withdrew and was replaced by Roman Dolidze, meaning there were six withdrawals in total from the top three bouts on the card.
And that’s not all: fights between Gillian Robertson and Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Cody Darden and Carlos Hernandez, and Andrei Arlovski and Martin Budai were also scheduled but have since been postponed or rescheduled.
All things considered, it’s been a busy few weeks for Whyte, who also had to deal with Khamzat Chimaev’s withdrawal from last week’s bout with Robert Whittaker, who quickly defeated replacement Ikram Aliskerov.
