SHANGHAI, CHINA – The UFC Shanghai co-main event between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will proceed as a catchweight bout after Ortega experiencedโ severe difficulties making weight for โคthe โfeatherweight limit. The fight, originally scheduled for 145โค pounds, will nowโ take place โat 153 pounds.
The initial declaration on Thursday โevening indicated โฃOrtega โwould โขnot be able to make weight,leading to โขtheโค fight’s cancellation. Though,โค theโ UFC reversed โขcourse,โค agreeingโค to a catchweightโข to allow the bout to continue. This decision prompted adjustments from oddsmakers, who had to recalibrate betting lines.
A video posted by UFC bantamweight championโฃ Merab Dvalishvili on Friday showed an โฃambulance outside the UFC fighter hotel in Shanghai, โpresumably transporting Ortega. Dvalishvili is in Shanghai to corner Aljamain โคSterling, โคnicknamed “Funk Master.” The โคextent of Ortega’s medical condition remains unknown, butโ he received sufficientโ care to โขbe cleared to compete.
“Weight cutting is never easy. Thank God everybody is safe and fight is still on,” Dvalishvili wroteโ accompanying the video.
Weight cutting is a common practiceโ in โฃcombatโฃ sports, where athletes dehydrate themselves to compete in a lower weight class. This process โcan beโ perilous, possibly leading to health โcomplications. the UFC has faced increasing โคscrutiny regarding the safety of extreme weight cuts, and has implemented someโ measures โคto mitigate risks, though the practice remainsโ prevalent.
Ortega (15-3, 1 NC) is a prominentโ featherweight contender known for โขhis submission skills. Sterling (23-3) isโข the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, moving upโข in weight for this contest.โค The fight represents a critically importent โฃmatchup in the featherweight division.