NO WAY! UFC 303 Co-Headliner About To Change Mid-Broadcast

UFC 303 LIVE on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Featherweight veteran Dan Ige is teed up to fill in for a 165-pound catchweight bout (pending medical clearance and an official weigh in).

This is according to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, who released the following statement midway through UFC 303’s “Prelims” undercard:

UFC is trying to book Dan Ige x Diego Lopes tonight, I’m told. It’s not 100% yet.

Ortega is on the verge of having to withdraw. He is sick, sources say.

The plan would be a 165-pound catchweight fight, if it gets over the line.

Ige would have to weigh in tonight.

I…

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 30, 2024

“UFC is trying to book Dan Ige x Diego Lopes tonight, I’m told. It’s not 100% yet.

Ortega is on the verge of having to withdraw. He is sick, sources say.

The plan would be a 165-pound catchweight fight, if it gets over the line.

Ige would have to weigh in tonight.

I honestly have never heard of anything like this before considering he didn’t weigh in yesterday.

Developing.”

booked just two weeks ago in effort to soften the blow from Conor McGregor’s injury and subsequent exit from UFC 303’s main event. A light heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka was quickly booked as the new headliner for International Fight Week, but Ortega vs. Lopes was brought together to keep the buzz even higher.

Ortega was coming off a second-round submission finish over Yair Rodriguez back in February, while Lopes has won his last three trips to the Octagon by knockout or submission. The featherweight clash, which turned into a lightweight clash, was expected to produce Fight of the Night action. UFC CEO Dana White even offered an extra Fight of the Night bonus because of Ortega vs. Lopes.

It’s a bummer to see Ortega pull out with just hours to go, but at least Ige is on standby to pull off one of the biggest saves in recent memory. Fight fans are loving Lopes right now and to remove him from the card (in addition to Ortega) would be truly a killer.

Ige’s head coach, Eric Nicksick, posted the following message earlier Saturday night, leading fight fans to believe it’s a done deal:

“Remember, we’re the guys you call when you run out of ideas.”

LIVE! Watch UFC 303 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

’McGREGOR-FREE MAIN EVENT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 29, 2024, without its biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor, after the Irish sports star delayed the “greatest comeback of all-time” because he broke his pinky toe (seriously). Coming the rescue once again is Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, agreeing to rematch former division champion, Jiri Prochazka, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. In UFC 303’s co-headliner, top-ranked Featherweight contender, Brian Ortega, will attempt to halt the rise of red-hot surging 145-pound prospect, Diego Lopes. UFC 303’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze and Ian Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 303 start time scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).