Dan Ige impressed the entire world of mixed martial arts at UFC 303, as he agreed to take on Diego Lopes in just a couple of hours’ notice. Even though the fight did not turn in Ige’s favor, the fighting community didn’t stop praising the mixed martial artist for his bravery and sportsmanship. After all, he was the one who saved the co-main event. 

Needless to say, Dana White was also pretty impressed with ‘50K’. He went on to promise that he would let Ige fight at UFC Noche. However, not all promises can be kept unbroken. And Ige understands it all. Even after accepting a challenge from a fellow fighter, Ige didn’t have a spot at The Sphere.

Dan Ige defends Dana White despite broken promises

The UFC head honcho has announced the main card for UFC Noche. While the world was excited to see Ige fight at The Sphere, the UFC had other plans. The main event at UFC 306 will feature Sean O’Malley defending the bantamweight championship title against Merab Dvalishvili. In the co-main event, Alexa Grasso will go against Valentina Shevchenko. But Ige’s name was nowhere to be found.

Ige was recently targeted by Steve Garcia for a fight at The Sphere. In the post-fight interview following his incredible win against Seung Woo Choi at UFC Vegas 94, Garcia called out Ige. He did believe that a fight with him would be “freaking amazing”. To add to the excitement, Ige took to X and responded with, “Garcia is gritty! Nice Job”. And when a fan asked Ige if the fight between the two was a possibility, he replied, “Guaranteed violence.”

As soon as the news of UFC 306 cards broke out, the fight fans began accusing White of breaking his promise to Ige. The UFC CEO had promised ‘50K’ for a spot at UFC Noche as a reward for his valiant approach to save UFC 303. However, ‘50K’ wasn’t so cruel. He came forward to White’s defense and quoted, “all good it’s not Dana’s fault there just wasn’t a Mexican available to fight.”

Ige’s humble nature and fire to compete and become the catchweight champion has caught the attention of the fighting community. Did you know what he had to say about his fight with Lopes and the money he received out of it? Let’s find out!

What did Ige think of the purse he got at UFC 303?

With all his heroics at UFC 303, ‘50K’ remained as humble as a man could be. But that didn’t stop him from getting excited about the money he received for fighting Lopes at the co-main event. It was indeed a heavier purse than what he usually receives. In an interview with MMA Junkie Radio after his fight, Ige said, “I got all my money, show and my win, and I got more, I got a new deal out of it. I got paid well. I probably got double or triple what I normally get, so it was – the number hit the bank account today, and it looks nice.”

Needless to say, Ige never fails to garner support from the fighting community. Standing up for the UFC boss man even though he failed to keep his promise speaks a lot about the mixed martial artist’s virtues. 

What are your thoughts on Ige’s comments? Let us know in the comments down below.