Brian Ortega nearly missed his UFC Shanghai co-main event with Aljamain Sterling two weekends ago. In fact, he was essentially knocked out by his weight cut before he even made it to the scale.
At the weigh-ins for the promotion’s return to China, Ortega appeared noticeably gaunt, causing concern for his health throughout the community. Reports and rumors started to spread after Ortega and his opponent Aljamain Sterling shifted their originally scheduled 145-pound clash to a 153-pound catchweight. In the end, Ortega lost the bout via unanimous decision after five rounds of fighting.
Advertisement
Ortega was rumored to have passed out before the fight, but remained in the bout despite having a replacement on hand. Speaking in a video posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, Ortega confirmed that the reports and rumors were indeed accurate.
“We cut weight on Thursday, we hit the first one,” Ortega said. “We got down to ‘[151 pounds]. Second one, later on, I decided to jump the gun on that one at 12. We cut from midnight all the way until 8 in the morning, cutting weight the entire time. I realized I had 1.7 [pounds] to go still. We were confused on how my body wasn’t really pouring out the water, why it was just holding it in, but no matter what we have to get this weight off, so we did.
“We went downstairs at about 8, 8-something, decided to cut more weight. Put the plastics on, Sweet Sweat, the whole thing. I did 20 minutes on the bike. Once I got off, I went unconscious. I was unconscious for about 30 minutes. During that time, they were putting ice on me. They took all my clothes off and left me in boxers. Woke up in the ER. …
“If you saw the weigh-ins, you obviously know that I looked delirious and just coming off of being 30 minutes unconscious in the tunnel, what they say. After that, weighed in. We figured if I didn’t feel good or if something was seriously off that we would call the fight. No matter who you are, your health comes first, always stand by that.
“Aljamain came to me, and he talked to me, and he said, ‘Hey man, I heard what happened.’ I said, ‘I was under for 30 minutes, I ain’t going to lie to you. We have the same manager, I know he told you. I’m here, I’m trying and I’m going to show up.’ He said, ‘They already have a replacement fighter, don’t worry about it.’ But I told him, ‘No, I don’t want to waste your time.’ And I showed up.
“We ate food, we rehydrated the entire day. I didn’t feel good. I wanted to call it off. I got up and just walking outside I almost passed out and fainted. Everything in my body’s telling me not to fight.
“First and foremost, I decided to fight for my family. That’s my job, to show up and do what I do for them. I fought for my family. Secondly, I fought for you guys. You guys have always shown me love, you guys have always supported me, no matter what. It would be unfair to not show up for you guys, regardless of excuses, you just show up and do what you’ve got to do.
“The question arose of maybe I wasn’t going to last. I didn’t know what to expect, if I’m being honest. I was afraid, I’m not going to lie. Being unconscious for 30 minutes and then fighting the next day, but I decided to go for it, still. The outcome was what the outcome was.
“Good job to ‘Aljo’ for a game plan well played. He was slick with his movement, very smart point fighter, smart fight on his end. I’m more of a fan of having wars. Call me crazy, but that’s what I was hoping for, a good grappling war, but it didn’t happen, neither did the victory. …
“We’re back we feel good.”
The 34-year-old two-time featherweight title challenger toyed with the possibility of a lightweight return ahead of his previous fight with Diego Lopes at Noche UFC in September 2024. Ortega also lost that bout via a unanimous decision, but made weight in what optically appeared to be another tough weight cut. “T-City” hasn’t fought south of 145 pounds since his pre-UFC days over a decade ago.
It’s been a rough stretch for Ortega over the past several years. The Californian rode into his first UFC title bout against Max Holloway as an undefeated 14-0 contender in 2018, and hasn’t been able to recapture that same magic. Ortega didn’t indicate in his Instagram video whether or not he’ll give the featherweight division one final chance after dropping to 2-5 in his last seven bouts.
