Brian Ortega addresses last-minute UFC 303 withdrawal, issues statement outlining "huge health consequences"

Brian Ortega recently spoke out about his last-minute withdrawal from UFC 303, detailing the severe health issues that compelled him to pull out of his fight against Diego Lopes just hours before the scheduled fight.

'T-City' was aware that he needed to shed a significant amount of weight to meet the non-title featherweight bout limit, but he remained confident in his ability to achieve it. Despite fulfilling all of his fight week commitments, the two-time former featherweight title challenger requested that the bout be moved to lightweight just hours before the weigh-ins. Both his opponent and the UFC agreed to the change.

Ortega weighed in at 155 pounds but was unable to make it to the octagon on fight night due to illness, forcing him to withdraw on the day of the fight. This unexpected turn of events opened the door for Dan Ige, who stepped up at the eleventh hour to face Lopes.

Ortega released a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, addressing the series of events that unfolded after he accepted the fight against Lopes just two weeks before UFC 303, following a major shake-up in the fight roster.

In his statement, 'T-City' explained that when he accepted the matchup, he weighed around 178 pounds but struggled to cut weight during fight week due to a fever, preventing him from reaching 146 pounds.

Despite moving the bout to 155 pounds to avoid any health scare, the 33-year-old Californian still felt unwell at weigh-ins and hoped rehydration would help. However, his condition did not improve, forcing him to withdraw on fight day. A part of his statement reads:

"Rather than risking huge health consequences and possibly calling the fight off, thankfully, we were able to move the weight to 155. At weigh-ins, I still felt off, but I was sure it would go away after I rehydrated and ate... I dared to do something crazy for the love of fighting, but I got sick, and my body gave out on me."

Check out Brian Ortega's full statement below:

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Brian Ortega plans possible move to lightweight for future bouts

Although Brian Ortega's recent statement didn't specifically outline his future plans, he mentioned during UFC 303 fight week that he is considering a move up to the lightweight division.

During an interview with MMA Junkie last month, 'T-City' revealed that he had already set his sights on moving up to lightweight, aiming for a divisional debut at UFC 306 (Noche UFC) on Sept. 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas before receiving the call to compete at UFC 303:

"We talked about fighting Sept. 14 at Sphere... They [UFC] didn’t really want me to fight contenders and stuff, so I decided to move to 155, but I can’t say it. It might still happen. And I hope it does."

Check out Brian Ortega's comments below (4:42):