Brian Ortega Speaks Out After Dropping Out of UFC 303 Fight

Photo: Instagram/Brian Ortega

Brian Ortega has finally spoken about his tough week at UFC 303, where he had to drop out of his fight against Diego Lopes just hours before the match.

Ortega, a two-time featherweight title challenger, accepted the fight against Lopes on short notice after Conor McGregor withdrew. He needed to lose a lot of weight to make the 146-pound limit for a non-title fight, but was confident he could do it.

However, things changed when he arrived in Las Vegas. Ortega shared on Instagram that he felt off during fight week, which he initially thought was due to the weight cut. He started at 178 pounds and struggled to drop to 151 pounds after seven hours. Later, he found out he had a fever and his body was shutting down.

Photo: Instagram/Brian Ortega

To avoid serious health risks, the fight weight was moved to 155 pounds. Even with this change, Ortega still felt unwell and became increasingly sick the night before the fight.

“By Saturday morning, I couldn't keep any food or water down and couldn't stand up,” Ortega said. Realizing he was ill, he informed his manager and the UFC that he couldn't fight.


Ortega apologized to Lopes, who had to adjust his weight multiple times and then face a different opponent. He thanked the UFC and fans for their support and expressed his desire to always give his best performance.

Lopes has said he would like to fight Ortega again at featherweight, but it’s unclear if the UFC will rebook the match. Ortega hinted at moving to lightweight in the future but didn’t specify his next steps.

Read Next: Canelo Finally Willing To Fight David Benavidez – Under One Condition: "I'll Fight Him Tomorrow"

Source: MMA Fighting 

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