When the fans took to their seats inside T-Mobile Arena, they had a host of the UFC’s big names on their mind as they prepared to watch UFC 303. Dan Ige wouldn’t have been not one of them, but his was the name that many would have been talking about as they headed home after the event.
In a remarkable turn of events, featherweight Diego Lopes, who had already agreed a late weight-class change to face Brian Ortega in the co-main event, found himself without an opponent with just a few hours to go before fight time.
Ortega had been taken ill and was forced off the fight card in Las Vegas, and UFC officials scrambled to see if they come somehow find a way to keep Lopes on the card.
Enter Dan Ige.
The Xtreme Couture fighter, who was already in camp for a planned bout against Chepe Mariscal on July 20, agreed to step up and fight Lopes on just a few hours’ notice.
He showed up, made the agreed fight night weight of 165 pounds, then stepped into the Octagon and put on an impressive last-minute performance to push rising star Lopes all the way to the judges’ scorecards.
Ige eventually lost a unanimous decision, with scores of 29-28 across the board, but he won the respect of his opponent, the UFC, and the fans by agreeing to step in and save the co-main event on one of the biggest UFC events of the year.
After the bout, Ige chatted with Joe Rogan and said that he was happy to have been able to jump in and compete.
“It doesn’t matter. Eight weeks, six weeks, four weeks, FOUR HOURS! It doesn’t matter,” he declared.
“This is what I live for. This is my dream. I get to wake up and do what I love.”
Ige then recalled how he got the call and ended up on the fight card.
“I was literally getting a massage,” he explained.
“And I had a call from Hunter (Campbell, UFC’s Chief Business Officer), Ali (Abdelaziz, his manager) and a bunch of people. They said, ‘Hey, do you want to fight tonight?’
“I was like, ‘Man, this is an opportunity to become a legend. This is the story I want to tell my grandkids.’ I love fighting at the Apex, so don’t get me wrong. But to show up on four hours’ notice on International Fight Week, on one of the biggest cards of the year, on the co-main event – man, I couldn’t be happier with my performance.”
And, after he stepped in on a few hours’ notice to help keep Lopes on the card and save the UFC’s co-main event, Ige asked for something in return, as he revealed his request to be a part of the UFC’s upcoming event at Sphere on September 14.
“I’ll be ready. You know, they know where to call,” he stated.
“They got my number. He took my call. I wanted to fight at the Sphere. Maybe it’ll still happen. Maybe there’s a big name out there. I would love to fight on that card. Dana, you got my number.”
UFC 303: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka via TKO (head kick and punches) – Round 2, 0:13
- Diego Lopes def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Roman Dolidze def. Anthony Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Macy Chiasson def. Mayra Bueno Silva via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 2, 1:58
- Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
- Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jean Silva def. Charles Jourdain via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:22
- Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
EARLY PRELIMS
- Gillian Robertson def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Martin Buday def. Andrei Arlovski via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Rei Tsuruya def. Carlos Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
