Dana White wore a radiant smile on his face after the UFC 303 co-main event fight was finally saved. With Brian Ortega pulling out hours before the fight, there was no option other than canceling the fight, had Dan Ige not stepped in, the UFC president agreed. However, after the 165-pound catchweight bout was over, Dana was all serious in his interaction with the media. He revealed that he had noticed that something was wrong with ‘T-City’.

It seems like even the media observed Brian Ortega’s not-so-usual attitude before UFC 303 when they interacted with him. When they asked Dana White about it, he claimed to have consulted the people behind the scenes about Ortega’s unusual behavior. He believes ‘T-city’ may have been struggling with something that he hasn’t shared with the UFC brass.

“I told the matchmakers yesterday. He was acting very strange during the weigh-ins yesterday and yeah, he was definitely off. I don’t know what’s wrong. I don’t know if he has personal problems,” said the 54-year-old. Dana White probably feels the weight-cutting process might have weighed heavily on Brian Ortega.

Ortega’s fight against Lopes was planned in featherweight. But after the former failed to make weight, he pushed it in the lightweight category at the very last minute. “He probably started cutting weight, you know, trying to get down to weight early and probably didn’t feel great or whatever the thing was… I don’t disagree with you. There was something off with him. So… you let Ortega rest and heal himself and figure out whatever’s going on with him,” White added. Ortega himself also spoke of the toll of the weight-cut process before the fight.

” I mean we stayed all night, trying to cut the weight. I think we topped out at 151 and I kept trying to push and just wasn’t the best sight you know 30 lbs in two weeks it’s a bit of a lot and you know my team called it after a while, finally after you know topping out, and then they decided to make it to 155,” Ortega had said in a conversation with ESPN MMA before the fight.

Although his fight against Lopes came on short notice, Ortega seemed unfazed during the conversation. After all, he is not new to such fights. And he has proved his mettle in those on previous occasions. In 2018, he took on Frankie Edgar in UFC 222 after Max Holloway pulled out. In an unprecedented outcome, Ortega became the first fighter to finish Edgar in the latter’s 13-year MMA career. Ortega knocked out the former UFC lightweight champion with an elbow. He then finished the fight with a powerful uppercut. This time against Lopes also Ortega was a favorite.

 “When Brian Ortega is healthy and he’s in these fights he could beat anybody in the world,” Dustin Poirier had declared before the fight. But as Ortega pulled off throwing everything for a toss, Diego Lopes did not have any hard feelings for him.

“All the respect to Brian. We actually had information from the camp whenever that happened that he actually tried to make weight. I understand that he wasn’t able to make it to this fight. I hope he is good in health and I have absolutely no ill will toward him,” Lopes told during a post-fight talk. He hoped for a reschedule of the fight against Ortega and said that he would enjoy it if that happened in the Sphere.

Just before the fight against Lopes, Ortega had revealed that he had agreed to a fight at lightweight for the UFC 306 card at The Sphere. Meanwhile, Dan Ige, who stepped up in just four hours’ notice for the fight received nothing but respect from the onlookers.

Dan Ige becomes part of UFC history

The Lopes-Ige fight is said to be the shortest-notice fight in the history of modern-era UFC. Naturally, some unprecedented incidents took place. Weigh-ins are an important part of any combat sports bout, especially in boxing and MMA. As such, these events take place before a PPV or Fight Nights in the UFC, which is a mandatory obligation on the fighters’ part. But for the first time, Dan Ige fought Diego Lopes without having to step on the weighing scale in an official weigh-in event.

Instead, the UFC officials did check Dan Ige’s weight, but backstage before UFC 303 went live on air. Moreover, it was ’50K’s idea to hit up Hunter Campbell when he heard about the co-main event turmoil. Ige fought valiantly, and the fight went to a distance, but Diego Lopes appeared too good for the 18-8 featherweight, clinching a unanimous decision victory. However, the crowd’s reaction told a different story.

They gave Ige a standing ovation for his courage to rise to the occasion. Even Lopes also expressed his respect for Ige. Nevertheless, what do you think is going on with Brian Ortega? Do you think his pullout could be because of some personal issues? Drop your comments below.