Dan Ige had one hell of a weekend as he partook in one of many UFC’s craziest pulls in fashionable historical past.
This previous Saturday, Ige co-headlined UFC 303 in Las Vegas – an occasion that served because the crown jewel of the celebrated UFC Worldwide Struggle Week. Though that’s an honor for a lot of fighters, what made it loopy and distinctive is that he wasn’t purported to struggle on the cardboard, and was summoned hours earlier than the co-main occasion, after the cardboard had already began.
That’s proper. With simply 4 hours’ discover, Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) ended up combating harmful contender Diego Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) within the co-main occasion of UFC 303. It was a busy and chaotic flip of occasions for Ige, and satirically sufficient, he was in “full-on zen mode” and listening to spa music when all of it went down.
“My therapeutic massage therapist was at my home, she labored on my entire household, I used to be the final one,” Ige advised MMA Junkie Radio, recalling the second he obtained the decision to struggle Lopes. “I obtained on the desk round 3 p.m. I had an hour and a half booked, and I had no clue I’d be combating.
“I used to be simply preparing for Monday, recovering and preparing for Sunday after which Monday as a result of I used to be preparing for a struggle (on July 20), so I used to be simply getting my physique proper.”
As Ige was getting his physique labored on, his supervisor and UFC brass had been scrambling to get him. He was the perfect possibility to switch an unwell Brian Ortega, who was purported to struggle Lopes within the card’s co-main occasion. Ige was coaching and had a struggle booked in Las Vegas, so he had all his medical paperwork completed and lives on the town.
“My telephone was on don’t disturb, and my spouse comes upstairs as a result of she was getting calls from Ali (Abdelaziz) and my mother was calling saying, ‘Hey, Ali is asking,’” Ige mentioned. “Lastly, I grabbed my telephone. Ten missed calls – Ali, Hunter Campbell. I used to be like, ‘What’s occurring?’
“As I’m making an attempt to look who known as me, Ali’s calling once more, so I answered. I used to be like, ‘Hey, what’s occurring brother? Sorry, I’m getting a therapeutic massage.’ He was like, ‘Brother, brother. Ortega is out.’ I’m like, ‘OK, cool.’ He’s like, ‘Brother, you need to struggle Lopes?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, positive. Let’s go.’”
Ige, who was purported to struggle Chepe Mariscal on July 20 at a UFC Struggle Night time occasion on the Apex, thought he was getting the decision to struggle Lopes at a later date, pondering Lopes’ struggle with Ortega had been canceled. However as we all know now, Ige’s supervisor meant combating Lopes in a number of hours at UFC 303.
“I’m like, ‘What? That’s not even attainable,’” Ige mentioned when he realized they had been asking him to struggle in a number of hours’ time. “Anyway, I’m beginning to get excited. So I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s go! Let’s go!’ He’s like, ‘Brother, you need me to get a deal completed?’ I’m like, ‘No matter meaning, positive. Let’s go.’ So he mentioned, ‘OK, I’ll name you again.’ So, I’m like, that was bizarre.”
Abdelaziz advised Ige to pack his bag and head over to the T-Cell Enviornment, as his struggle with Lopes was probably going to occur. Some particulars wanted to be addressed, however Abdelaziz advised him it was 80 p.c completed.
“I’m operating round my home like, what do I would like?” Ige mentioned. “I’m making an attempt to drink water, making an attempt to eat one thing as a result of if I’m going to struggle, I should be fueled. I had some yogurt and granola, some honey. I had a espresso, I had some supplemental carbs. I’m actually operating round my home, frantically excited and simply grabbing random issues.”
Ige known as his head coach, Eric Nicksick, who was already on the area to nook Roman Dolidze and advised him what was occurring. Nicksick requested no questions and rapidly assembled a last-minute nook, calling PFL’s Kai Kamaka III and former UFC champion Sean Strickland.
Abdelaziz then picked up Ige and took him to the world.
“I’m strolling in, they take me to this VIP room, there’s well-known folks in there: Mark Wahlberg, Jellyroll, Dana (White), Hunter (Campbell),” Ige mentioned. “I say what’s up and increase, they take me to the dimensions.
“I didn’t know I really needed to weigh in. I didn’t learn the bout settlement. They despatched me the bout settlement, and I used to be like, ‘Oh, candy. The cash is there. I’m getting good cash.’ That’s all I checked out. I didn’t know there was an precise weight class – 165.”
Fortunately for Ige, he was on weight as 165 kilos is his walk-round weight in camp and weighed in no downside. Lopes was additionally weighed in at 161 kilos, making their co-main occasion bout official.
Subsequent factor you realize, Ige is getting his palms wrapped and was an hour and a half away from co-headlining one of many promotion’s most necessary card of the yr in entrance of 20,000 followers.
Ige went on to lose a 29-28 unanimous determination, however placed on an admiral effort within the course of. Though an official loss on his report, Ige was pleased with the expertise and that he confirmed the MMA world that he’s certainly about that life.
“For no sport planning, nothing, simply going on the market and having enjoyable and combating, I assumed I did fairly nicely,” Ige mentioned. “In a means, it felt like I gained. I gained lots of notoriety, I gained followers, I obtained UFC favor, and it feels good. You don’t usually really feel like this after a loss on a Tuesday, however the quantity of simply love and respect that I obtained from folks, followers, the media, right here we’re, man. What a fricking wild night time.”
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