There has been a stunning last-minute change to the co-main event of Sunday’s UFC 303 card, with Dan Ige stepping in to fight Diego Lopes at catchweight after Brian Ortega (illness) was a late withdrawal.
Ige only had three hours notice but was more than willing to put his hand up, even texting UFC executive Hunter Campbell to not “take this opportunity away from me”.
In the text message, which was shared on ESPN’s broadcast of the card, Ige said he was “the healthiest” he had “ever been” and could “fight this guy tonight and beat him”.
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“This is what legends are made of. I’m in. I’m ready. I’m in great shape,” Ige added.
The No.14 ranked featherweight prospect was slated to fight Chepe Mariscal on July 20 so he had already been in camp preparing for that bout and happened to be in Vegas on Sunday.
The American has a 18-7 record and is coming off a statement round-one knockout win over Andre Fili at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer back in February.
It was the seventh first-round finish of Ige’s career, with the exciting featherweight also holding victories over Nate Landwehr, Damon Jackson and Gavin Tucker.
“This is an unprecedented situation,” Jon Anik said in commentary, announcing the news, to which a shocked Joe Rogan replied: “WHAT”.
“What an insane development,” Anik added.
Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) executive director Jeff Mullen explained on the broadcast how the fight came to be.
“Brian Ortega was medically unable to compete today so they immediately started looking for a replacement,” Mullen said.
“Fortunately Dan Ige, who is the 14th ranked contender is right here in town. He was already licensed. He fought here in February so we already had all of his medicals and all of his requirements completed.
“So he was available and they made the fight, he’s ranked 14th and Diego’s ranked 15. So, it was a perfect matchup, perfectly approvable matchup. And again, we had everything, I checked with our attorneys to make sure everything was in order.
“He was weighed in today. He’s going to have a pre-fight physical today and everything is in order, plus he was already training for fight on July 20th.
“So he was prepared and ready to go. First thing I did when they proposed this was I talked to his trainer Eric Nicksick and I said, ‘Is he ready?’
“He assured me he is ready to fight tonight.”
STATEMENT KNOCKOUTS STUN ON PRELIMINARY CARD
Payton Talbott continued his unbeaten streak with a staggering 19-second knockout to kick off the prelims at UFC 303.
The 25-year-old was dominant from the get-go in his bantamweight bout against Yanis Ghemmouri, dropping his rival with a clean right hand that landed flush on the chin.
Ghemmouri immediately postured up to defend himself but could do nothing as Talbott unloaded with ground strikes, eventually knocking him out as the referee waved off the contest after just 19 seconds.
Speaking after the fight, Talbott described the finish as “electric”.
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“It feels like all of my dreams are coming true and everything I believed is in front of my hands right now,” Talbott said in his post-fight interview.
Talbott also called out Adrian Yanez for his next fight.
Prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani praised Talbott’s performance on X: “Freaking hell Payton Talbott. Massive favourite or not, that young man is the real deal. Damn.”
The big knockouts kept coming as Joe Pyfer closed out the preliminary card with a bang, flattening Marc-Andre Barriault after 85 seconds.
Pyfer, who was coming into the fight off a loss to Jack Hermansson, landed clean shots early to back Barriault up to the cage and then quickly put an end to things with a brutal combination that was followed up by a pair of right hands.
“I’ve had a chip on my shoulder, Jack was the better man 100 per cent,” Pyfer said post-fight.
“I didn’t have the best camp. No excuses, he beat me. But I knew what I was capable of and I even had an allergic reaction before I came to this fight.
“I had to get on medicine to calm it down. I had rashes everywhere but I still show up, I still fight… I told you I ain’t scared of nobody. Paul Craig come see me in fall.
“All them haters talking all that stuff, where you at now? Everybody said I was going to lose, look at me from nothing.”
UFC 303 FULL RESULTS
Main Card (from 12pm AEST)
Alex Pereira (c) v Jiri Prochazka — for light heavyweight title
Dan Ige v Diego Lopes — catchweight
Anthony Smith v Roman Dolidze — light heavyweight
Mayra Bueno Silva v Macy Chiasson — women’s bantamweight
Ian Machado Garry v Michael Page — welterweight
Prelims (from 10am AEST)
Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault via KO in Round 1 (1:25) — middleweight
Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson — featherweight via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Jean Silva def. Charles Jourdain def via KO in Round 2 (1:22)
Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri via KO in Round 1 (0:19)
Early Prelims
Gillian Robertson def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via UD (30-27 x2, 30-26)
Martin Buday def. Andrei Arlovski via SD (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
Rei Tsuruya def. Carlos Hernandez via UD (29-28 x3)
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