Brian Ortega’s manager explains sudden UFC 303 pull-out: “He couldn’t recover or keep anything down”

According to Brian Ortega’s manager, his UFC 303 pull-out was largely due to the short notice he had to prepare.

‘T-City’ was set to return to the octagon in the co-main event of UFC 303 on Saturday. However, as many fans likely know, Brian Ortega’s bout with Diego Lopes was made on short notice. After Conor McGregor withdrew from the card with two weeks to go, the featherweights were added to help boost the card.

However, during fight week, there began to be complications. Prior to weigh-ins, Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes was changed to a lightweight contest. Due to the former title challenger’s issues with making 145 pounds on short notice, they moved it up. Ortega made the weight, as did Lopes, and the two faced off later in the day.

However, on UFC 303 fight day, Brian Ortega became severely ill. As a result, he was forced out of the fight, and fellow featherweight contender Dan Ige stepped up on a day’s notice. ‘Dynamite’ wound up suffering a unanimous decision loss to Lopes, in a fight that he was likely well-compensated for. Just a few days removed from UFC 303, the mystery behind Ortega’s withdrawal is now known.

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Brian Ortega’s pull-out of UFC 303 explained by featherweight’s manager

The news was broken by Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour earlier today. There, the longtime journalist revealed that Brian Ortega’s illness was largely brought on by being run down from the short fight camp. While the former UFC title challenger tried to recover enough to fight on, he just couldn’t keep anything down.

“He caught a terrible fever over the last few days from his body being run down from cutting on 15 days’ notice and 30-plus pounds,” Ariel Helwani revealed on The MMA Hour after speaking to Ortega’s manager earlier today. “He couldn’t recover or keep anything down.” (h/t MMA Mania)

As of now, Brian Ortega’s timeline for a return to the octagon is unknown. However, Diego Lopes did show interest in re-booking the matchup with ‘T-City’ following his victory at UFC 303. However, the Brazilian also tapped former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski as an option as well.

What do you make of this UFC news? Who do you want to see Brian Ortega fight in his return to the octagon?