But were there truly any losers in the UFC 303 co-main event?
Less than five hours before he stepped in the cage Saturday, Dan Ige had no clue he’d be fighting in front of 20,000 people that same night.
While Ige’s surprise entry into the UFC 303 co-main event will forever be known as something of a legend, the history books will show Diego Lopes was the victor by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
The argument could be made there were no losers, however. Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) replaced an ill Brian Ortega four hours before the event. A special weigh-in was held before the bout was contested at 165 pounds at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
When Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) showed off powerful striking in Round 1 before he dragged the fight to the canvas with submission attempts. Round 2 was more of the same as Ige struggled to get the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt off him.
In Round 3, however, Ige came on strong. His cardio went further than Lopes’, who seemed to wear down as the round progressed. Ige got on top of Lopes toward the end of the fight and landed a few ground-and-pound shots before the bell.
After the fight, the combatants embraced and walked over to UFC CEO Dana White. During their in-cage interviews, both men called for a spot on the upcoming UFC 306 card at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Two warriors. #UFC303@DynamiteDan808
@DiegoLopesMMA pic.twitter.com/u321rOiKMf
— UFC (@ufc) June 30, 2024
With the victory, Lopes continues his tear through the promotion’s pack of top-ranked featherweights. Prior to Saturday’s win, he finished Sodiq Yusuff by an 89-second TKO at UFC 300.
Ige had a three-fight winning streak snapped with the defeat. Prior to his acceptance of Saturday’s co-main event, Ige was in preparation for a July 20 bout vs. Jose Marsical.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 303 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
