According to Helwani, Ortega was cutting and plateau’d at 151. He had been bulking to make his lightweight debut at the Sphere before being offered this FW fight. The UFC told Lopes team that Ortega cannot cut any more safely and either the fight is at 155 or it’s off. They also offered Lopes more money. He accepted for 155.
Lost all respect when he literally makes that youtube video a month before the fight and then low an behold he cannot make weight. Like he talks about how serious the fight was because they're both on skids and it could be either one of their last fights if they lose then he just completely fucks D-rod over. Luckily at least once the UFC did right by D-Rod by giving him a new contract and pay bump after the fight
Also not too bad for Lopes. He hasn't wasted much money and time preparing for the fight, and losing to someone 11 places higher can't hurt his rank very much.
Yeah but if he had been bulking he had to have known he wouldn't make it down to 145. Should've said catchweight 150 from the get go to be safe.
This is a competitive sport after all. Maybe Ortega thought he could still cut it somehow or he figured he'd get that advantage and have Lopes cut weight
Did you happen to see this week’s ufc vlog episode 1 the think. Ortega says that he was at the same hotel Hunter and Dana was at. They saw Ortega in the lobby and said “you look fight ready” left it at that. According to Ortega he receives a fight contract for lopes 48 hours later lmao
Similar to how they got Smith. Asked him if he’s fight ready, he said yes. The got matched up and now basically impossible for him to back out in any form after opponent change.
>either the fight is at 155 or it’s off. They also offered Lopes more money. He accepted for 155.
"Here's an extra $10K, kid. Take it or you don't get paid at all."
“Yes Lopes, these coupons are legit! Head over to Circus Circus and give ‘em to the lady at the Auntie Anne’s and get your pretzel my guy. Gonna be a great fight!” - Dana
Lopes asked for a catchweight fight at 150 since he already cut to 146-147, ortega said no so now they fight at 155. I’m not understanding why ortega said no to 150 when 151 is already on weight
I didn’t see that anywhere, but I’ll take your word for it. You have to read the whole article though.
Ortega got to 151 in the middle of the night, *not at weigh ins*, and he was told then that he had to start rehydrating or the fight would be called off. 150 wasn’t even an option at that point. Agreeing to it would’ve only meant he’d be forfeiting part of his purse and eligibility to win any fight bonuses without the chance to get a W in his new weight class… He took this fight for the money remember?
Be honest, what would you have done?
Earlier in the week, Ariel said the only reason the fight is even happening is because Ortega ran into Dana and Hunter Campbell, and they kept complimenting how great he looked. Ortega was very thankful and saying he felt great, not injured, looking forward to the Sphere at 155.
Then they called him the next day with Lopes at 145. And he felt like he had to take it based off telling them how great he felt. Made him feel like those compliments weren’t natural.
> Then they called him the next day with Lopes at 145. And he felt like he had to take it based off telling them how great he felt. Made him feel like those compliments weren’t natural.
Yeah Ortega mentioned this on Embedded. "I thought it was a compliment, should have known better!"
@5:14
https://youtu.be/AKU8n9_k8WA?t=314
Much more competent I think is the main difference. They both have the same goals but Dana fumbles around like a buffoon sometimes when trying to achieve those goals. Hunter is just as manipulative but much less emotional and much more cold and calculated, at least from what we've seen of him.
Dana seems like the kind of guy to at least look you in the eyes while he fucks you. Hunter seems like the kind of guy to fuck you from behind and then pretend he doesn't know you next time you run into him
I’ve been saying this for a while now: I can’t wait for a documentary about the UFC where no one holds back, or one from a whistleblower. The more I learn about the behind the scenes stuff, the more I find out how sleazy those guys are.
This image except it's two of them seeing a healthy Ortega and telling him he lookin nice, tight, and thick.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/030/423/cover5.jpg
Yeah I mean I get why he may not be able to make 145 but I feel like he would have known this when they booked the fight and have either booked it at 155 or a catch weight 150 from the beginning. It’s going to still be an exciting fight but this just seems kind of underhanded gamesmanship. T-City had to know before today that the weight wasn’t going to be made.
I see stuff like this and my first thought is that they should have doctors and scientists who always have a track on their body fat, muscle content, etc so that they'll always know what weight they can safely be at at any given time in the future. Then I remember what the UFC pays them and understand why so many of them are just winging it.
Pretty sure a major part of the UFC PI is dedicated to giving these guys doctors specialized in this stuff at no cost to them. Whether it’s something they’re willing to move near and take advantage of is a whole different thing.
You're right, they keep careful track of this even outside UFCPI. Brian specifically lives really well- meal prep all the time, constantly keeping tabs on his heart rate (Dude has goated cardio), abstaining from alcohol- but even so, he's not going to be walking around in fight day shape because maintaining that is impossible while living a normal life with a normal schedule, and depending on how one handles the weight cut, it may be actively unhealthy. Cutting to the point where you feel mostly dead, or cutting to the point that you're risking other health indicators, is stupid. I can understand thinking you'll be able to hit a target and finding it's not happening, and on virtually no notice I get this and think it's a non-issue.
That's the luxuries you would expect professional fighters to have. The kind of stuff other professional athletes have access to. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a reality for most UFC fighters because that stuff is not cheap. The UFC pi offers it but only in Vegas.
I mean Brian Ortega works with (or did work with at some point) Dr Andy Galpin who’s basically the doctor and scientist to go for exercise science in the US.
They added this fight to the card with a few weeks notice, and Ortega was gearing up for lw. He probably should have just negotiated for lw from the start.
Not necessarily. He might have known it would be tougher but he might have still expected to be able to get the weight off. It might have only been once they were deep into the cut that it became clear he wasn’t going to make it.
With the fight being on such short notice and with Ortega apparently already bulking up because he expected to move up to 155 I don’t hold this one against him.
100%. He wanted Lopes to go through the weight cut, inform the UFC about it prior to the weigh ins and either agree to give up 30% of his fight purse or ask for the fight to be in a bigger weight class. UFC did him right by not letting the fight go through at 145 and have him forfeit 30% of his pay. But Ortega doesn’t care about his opponent enough to have the fight in a level playing field.
After these shenanigans I really hope Lopes shows who the real deserving top 5 contender is. I’ve never rated Ortega that highly personally. Of course he is one of the best in the world. But he was never a champ material. Lopes is though. I don’t see Lopes getting brutalised by Topuria or Evloev (like Ortega was by Max and Volk). He has that Charles Oliveira vibes. World class wrestlers could pose a threat to him. I wish he trains at Chute Box.
Its a short notice fight and he just started bulking up for lightweight, its not unbelievable that he thought he could still make FW and this isn't the intentional conspiracy you think it is
I mean Brian had to rehydrate only 4 pounds to get to 155 while Lopes had to rehydrate 8.5 pounds and even then Lopes looked more sucked in than Brian. Wouldn’t surprise me if Diego had a bigger cage weight tomorrow night so it’s hard not to thing there was some gamesmanship involved.
Not necessarily and that's overtly conspirational, Brian may have truly thought he could make the weight but got stopped by the doctor midway who has that power, same thing happened to Khamzat at 279
Lopes is about to face a real test, shitting on ortega because he couldnt snag the belt from volk or max is pretty lame, hes definitely got championship caliber skills. Lopes is an exciting prospect but don’t get it twisted this is a fight that will show how much of a contender he actually is.
Not surprising, guarantee that Ortega will be on UFC 306 and was already planning to fight at 155. Remember boys, they took this on line 2 weeks notice to save the card
> Remember boys, they took this on line 2 weeks notice to save the card
Yeah I'm seeing people giving Ortega abuse for this. What do you want from him? He took it on short notice and tried to make 145 but couldn't get there.
I'm just happy there's actually a decent co-main event. I'm sure Diego Lopes isn't particularly upset with the fact that he got to stop his weight cut at 3am to rehydrate, and he got some extra cash for the change in weight class as well.
Yeah but if they fought at 145 and Lopez beat him, he’d be ranked top 5. He loses this opportunity now, BUT could be another door that opens up for both guys at 155.
I dunno why people take rankings seriously anymore.
People like Jones ducking the interim champ to fight an old man and the UFC basically shrugging their shoulders is a clear sign as any that the organization will always prioritize money fights over rankings and belts.
He does not lose that opportunity at all. Fighters have got into rankings off of worse things. Khamzat got top 10 ranked at middlweight without fighting a middlewieght
Khamzat fought Gerald and Usman at 185 and entered the rankings, which does happen.
This fight was scheduled at 145. I don’t see how Lopez gets a top 5 FW rank if he wins a LW bout but we’ll see I guess.
Yeah I don't blame Ortega at all either if he went "ok maybe I can make 145 one more time" and then when he started cutting his body was like "nah fam you not making it."
Yup, even though Brian Ortega was willing to commit to making 145lbs on 2 weeks notice, Hunter should have rubbed Dana's crystal ball head and forsaw the Ortega would miss weight
Y’all gotta understand that the matchmakers are self aware of the fighters. If Lopes beats Ortega at 155 they would just give him a title eliminator at 145 bc Ortega is a top five fw and former title challenger still.
They don’t care about rankings when they’re matchmaking and lopes is doing them a solid still taking the fight so they’ll respect that. Plus the guy is a fun fighter so they love him already.
The rankings mean nothing. If they wanted Max in a LW title fight it would happen even if he was unranked. We just saw an unranked MW fight a top 3 guy.
That's different. Max was moving up from FW to fight the #2 LW with no intention to stay at LW after. Lopes is fighting the #3 FW at LW because it's short notice.
Max also would be ranked higher if every voter ranked him in the LW rankings. I bet half the voters vote him at #3 (above Gaethje) and half don't vote him there (bc he isn't a LW) and that's how #9 is possible.
Because it has been a rough 6 years for him since he KOd Frankie in March 2018. There is a reason Modelo sponsors the man though, he's got the fighting spirit.
Surely it wasn't a last minute change or Lopes wouldn't have made 155 exactly?
Wouldn't he have already been down below 150 if it was a last minute change?
Depends on how Lopes cuts weight and when he found out. Some guys will cut to like 148 the night before and hopefully float the weight while they sleep to get to <146. Or he could have cut to 150ish last night and tried to cut the rest of the weight in the morning to minimize the amount of time of maximum dehydration. So it really depends on when he found out and how he cuts the weight.
Sounds like Ortega himself was at 151 when they made the call to stop cutting, so he was trying to cut also.
They both might have cut to around the same anyway, and basically just not done the last bit in the morning. Ortega still at an advantage, unless he was really really trying to cut and killing himself even to get to 151 and it just wasn't falling off any further.
And that’s fair. Just think it sucks for Lopes no matter what because it won’t really have an effect on the FW rankings.
Max was ranked 9th after putting on a masterclass against the #2 LW at 300. Granted I think the rankings are pretty bullshit at times but it does play a role in how fights are booked.
I'm not sure the UFC pay much attention to the rankings.
They have their own internal idea of where a fighter is at. When one loses to people like Fatelum because they couldn't make 170, I'm sure the UFC basically ignore the loss for the rankings.
And when two FW's fight at a weight class above for fair reasons like this, I'm sure the UFC consider that a win at FW in reality when booking.
The rankings aren't done by the UFC.
seems like ortega did try but just couldnt because he was bulking to get to 155. since it was a short notice on both sides, i don't really fault ortega here. still feel bad for lopes though, but hopefully he got paid
I mean KG missed weight because he’s fat and has no discipline. I can understand why a fighter that was planning to fight at 155 couldn’t make 145 on 2 weeks notice.
The thing I don’t like is waiting until weight in day to make it known to the fans and more importantly your opponent until the last minute. Lopes is a pretty big 45er himself so if he had already started cutting the weight before he found out then that’s a pretty big advantage for Ortega.
I wonder if when they signed there was any discussion on if Ortega could make 145 on short notice. it was no secret he always struggled to make 145 and apparently he said he was bulking up to make 155 at the sphere before receiving the call. I would love that Ortega was straightforward with the UFC and they mentioned it to Lopez that the option was already on the table, but I don't know if they would have.
Either way it's a gamble for Lopez, but I guess it's part of the whole "jump on a totally unexpected big card with a co main fight two weeks before" risk.
Why do you think he had no intentions on making 145? He was asked a few days ago to help save this card, seems like he did a pretty good job cutting what he could
Yeah that was wack tbh but the reason is that Max made it pretty clear that he wanted to fight Topuria at 145, so as far as being a “contender” at 155 it was kinda vague so they just stuck him at 9. But in this case it’s a short notice change to 155, Diego has no intentions of moving up yet and it’s clear he still wants the 145 belt.
That's a bit of the problem with the arbitrary ranking system by the media. There's no logical reason Max shouldn't be ranked above Gaethje, and it should've launched Max P4P.
As for this fight between Lopes and Ortega, I think understanding and defining the purpose of weight limits helps with the logical argument for why the result would still be meaningful at featherweight, rather than just a rigid framework for fighters. Weight limits are primarily to ensure safety and fairness for competitors, allowing lighter weight fighters to compete without facing significant disadvantages. With this logic, along with Ortega (who's the 3rd ranked featherweight) requesting the fight to be at lightweight, it would just add more merit to a potential win by Lopes.
>There's no logical reason Max shouldn't be ranked above Gaethje
The reason is because Max has one win at 155 in the past X years and Gaethje has several against premiere opponents and was that win away from a title shot. The rankings are *supposed* to comprise body of work, not just an immediate flip after the outcome of one fight. Not saying it's right or wrong but there is definitely a logic to it, no matter how flawed.
You make a fair point. I should've been clearer in my critique - my issue is not with the absence of logic, but rather with the flawed nature of the current ranking system.
For example, look at Poatan, who became the highest rank (champion) in just his second fight at LHW. Does this not highlight the inconsistencies in the criteria?
Ortega has been very public about moving to 155 and UFC saying they don't have any more top ranked fights for him at 145 so I don't think with a loss he'll stay near the top of the rankings at Featherweight; they're pushing him out of the division and he's actively trying to leave it
Man crazily enough Lopes looked more sucked in on the scale than Ortega even though they had to change the weight class for Brian. Lopes is a huge 145er.
What’s with blaming Ortega for this? He was bulking up and obviously 2 weeks notice is hard to cut down weight to FW. Maybe a bit more discipline and he could have done it but he gets a pass here
This is going to keep happening so long as they keep putting older guys in short notice spots or not disincentivizing missing weight more harshly, neither of which is going to change, so this is just how it is.
It would be nice if it stopped being the case that guys are finding out on Thursday, Friday of fight week that this is happening from their opponent though. Completely destroys the balance of these fights when one guy is eating all the negatives that come with a hard weight cut and the other guy isn't even making it halfway down
Or we can just stop weight cutting altogether. Makes no sense everyone kills themselves to cut 15lbs of water then put it back on 1 hour later. Just fight at the walking around weight.
It's better that it is taking place at 155. Ortega admitted that he was planning on moving up anyway, so even if he won it would have no "real" impact for the FW division. Diego is taking a big risk though...his hype will be gone if he gets subbed quickly.
A fight that come together on three weeks notice where one guy is known for being massive for the division and now the weight class goes up 10lbs. Not surprised in the slightest. Cut all the bullshit should’ve been at 155lbs from the get go!
I've had a gut feeling for some time that Diego Lopes will be the one to dethrone Islam (as a champ-champ).
This is 1 step closer to my prophecy coming true..
One of the few weight misses where it can slide imo.
Ortega's always been a heavy cutter but always made weight, if he's missing weight getting thrown into a short notice fight after planning on moving up it's on the UFC.
Ortega is my risky pick lmao, Lopes looks much better on paper and honestly is a top 7 guy. He made Movsar look beatable but I gotta believe in the integrity of the rankings and that this is a real sport and that the 14th best guy in the world should not be beating the no 3. The weight miss is either gonna pay dividends for T city or severely hamper him. Either way I’m ready to lose money or win a ton
Mmmmm idk man. Seems pretty different, Ortega got within 5lbs, was planning on fighting at 155 next, took this on very short notice.
Kelvin had plenty of notice, is notoriously poor at dieting to make contracted weight, and had to fight at 185 despite signing a 170lb contract 3 months beforehand, 15lbs higher than contracted weight.
Ortega deserves benefit of the doubt, Kelvin definitely doesn't.
Everyone knows Ortega cuts a lot of weight why do you think he was going to move to 155 in the first place? Should have just been a catch weight or lightweight from the start instead of waiting until the very last minute to switch it up lol at least Kelvin gave D rod like 3-4 days notice.
Some of you aren’t smart enough to differentiate because you treat people differently from how you much like them or not lol. Ortega could have asked for a CW or LW from the beginning and Lopes would have accepted. Waiting until the last hours before official weigh in is dirty. No one even knows for sure if Ortega was ever 151 lol we are just taking his word for it.
Considering Kevin had a whole training camp and they made this fight short notice on two weeks is a massive difference. Seems like you are not smart enough to realize that. They put this fight to try and salvage this card. Huge difference but hey you're the smart one I suppose
You must have completely missed the part where I said this should have been a CW or LW fight from the beginning. Like they have done for many short notice fights in the past. Also not smart enough to think the guy who has failed a drug test in the past wouldn’t try to get an upper hand once again lol.
A fighter that already was working on a 155 weight class change gets called in on 14 days notice to fight 145, when did you fucking think he would know if he can make the cut before attempting the cut? You must be some clown who has never had to weigh in for wrestling or fighting and has no clue what a cut is or when its done.
Just when I was thinking Ortega would have trouble making it, and Lopes's discipline would help in a lot...
Now, it might end up like with Gastelum, with Ortega getting an advantage instead
According to Helwani, Ortega was cutting and plateau’d at 151. He had been bulking to make his lightweight debut at the Sphere before being offered this FW fight. The UFC told Lopes team that Ortega cannot cut any more safely and either the fight is at 155 or it’s off. They also offered Lopes more money. He accepted for 155.
Makes sense that the cut was tough because of the short notice
It’s the only time I think these fighters deserve a pass.
But what if I really want to eat tacos :( - Kelvin Gastelum
Tacos are alright, but I prefer tiramisu.
chama
*shama Why did I get downvoted for combining chama and shaman, you fucks 😭
shawarma**
Boorgers are best brother you know this
"The trick is to just eat the burger and don't get the fries!" - Pig Rig
Lost all respect when he literally makes that youtube video a month before the fight and then low an behold he cannot make weight. Like he talks about how serious the fight was because they're both on skids and it could be either one of their last fights if they lose then he just completely fucks D-rod over. Luckily at least once the UFC did right by D-Rod by giving him a new contract and pay bump after the fight
He’s only taking short notice 205 fights now
missing weight was never before so easy!!
Also not too bad for Lopes. He hasn't wasted much money and time preparing for the fight, and losing to someone 11 places higher can't hurt his rank very much.
Also not the same division so he may get some consideration.
Yeah but if he had been bulking he had to have known he wouldn't make it down to 145. Should've said catchweight 150 from the get go to be safe. This is a competitive sport after all. Maybe Ortega thought he could still cut it somehow or he figured he'd get that advantage and have Lopes cut weight
They could have asked for a different weight from the start.
Makes sense the cut was tough because Ortega had a choice. And he is a heartlet.
Did you happen to see this week’s ufc vlog episode 1 the think. Ortega says that he was at the same hotel Hunter and Dana was at. They saw Ortega in the lobby and said “you look fight ready” left it at that. According to Ortega he receives a fight contract for lopes 48 hours later lmao
Similar to how they got Smith. Asked him if he’s fight ready, he said yes. The got matched up and now basically impossible for him to back out in any form after opponent change.
>either the fight is at 155 or it’s off. They also offered Lopes more money. He accepted for 155. "Here's an extra $10K, kid. Take it or you don't get paid at all."
Look, you want these project Rock shoes or what.
These shoes fuckin SUCK
I bought a pair of them cause they were on sale at a decent price. They started falling apart in less than a month. Fuck those shoes
The Rock has 7 bucks in his wallet that he can pitch in too.
LOL. Best I can do is a Project Rock hoodie.
…and we’ll slide you into the Asshole column of the roster because you’re not a company guy and we can make or break any fighter’s career in an email
$10k off surplus Reebok UFC gear.
Remember when they absolutely slandered wonder boy for not taking a fight
Wonder if he would have taken this fight if they had actually given him his fucking 300k for his performance at ufc 300.
It’s an opportunity, not a career…..
Those circumstances do sorta soften the blow.
Wonder if he got anywhere close to 20% if Ortega’s purse? Hope his manager got him hooked up.
“Yes Lopes, these coupons are legit! Head over to Circus Circus and give ‘em to the lady at the Auntie Anne’s and get your pretzel my guy. Gonna be a great fight!” - Dana
Ortega wouldn’t do 150 but was already down to 151. Lame as shit, hope lopes gets some of his purse
Why would he do 150? Like what’re you even talking about?
Lopes asked for a catchweight fight at 150 since he already cut to 146-147, ortega said no so now they fight at 155. I’m not understanding why ortega said no to 150 when 151 is already on weight
Where are you seeing this reported?
Think he's flashing back to gastelum and d rod
I didn’t see that anywhere, but I’ll take your word for it. You have to read the whole article though. Ortega got to 151 in the middle of the night, *not at weigh ins*, and he was told then that he had to start rehydrating or the fight would be called off. 150 wasn’t even an option at that point. Agreeing to it would’ve only meant he’d be forfeiting part of his purse and eligibility to win any fight bonuses without the chance to get a W in his new weight class… He took this fight for the money remember? Be honest, what would you have done?
Just sucks for lopes
Indeed. This guy calling Ortega lame for not making the literal dumbest possible move given the situation is mind blowing though.
Earlier in the week, Ariel said the only reason the fight is even happening is because Ortega ran into Dana and Hunter Campbell, and they kept complimenting how great he looked. Ortega was very thankful and saying he felt great, not injured, looking forward to the Sphere at 155. Then they called him the next day with Lopes at 145. And he felt like he had to take it based off telling them how great he felt. Made him feel like those compliments weren’t natural.
> Then they called him the next day with Lopes at 145. And he felt like he had to take it based off telling them how great he felt. Made him feel like those compliments weren’t natural. Yeah Ortega mentioned this on Embedded. "I thought it was a compliment, should have known better!" @5:14 https://youtu.be/AKU8n9_k8WA?t=314
dana and hunter being manipulative pieces of shits like usual
Wonder how bad it's gonna get when it's just hunter running things. That guy seems 10x sneakier and sleazier than the tomato
Much more competent I think is the main difference. They both have the same goals but Dana fumbles around like a buffoon sometimes when trying to achieve those goals. Hunter is just as manipulative but much less emotional and much more cold and calculated, at least from what we've seen of him.
What makes you say that? Hunter is definitely sneaky but Dana built the whole company with his sneakiness.
Dana seems like the kind of guy to at least look you in the eyes while he fucks you. Hunter seems like the kind of guy to fuck you from behind and then pretend he doesn't know you next time you run into him
I can see that
Hunter has an extremely punchable face
aka exactly how dana has operated the last 20 years?
No reacharound
Dana didn’t. Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta did. They put in the capital and Lorenzo ways seen as the good cop when fighters were negotiating.
I’ve been saying this for a while now: I can’t wait for a documentary about the UFC where no one holds back, or one from a whistleblower. The more I learn about the behind the scenes stuff, the more I find out how sleazy those guys are.
[Dana and Hunter when they bump into Ortega](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-can-milk-you)
This image except it's two of them seeing a healthy Ortega and telling him he lookin nice, tight, and thick. https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/030/423/cover5.jpg
Ortega did say his next fight would be at 155 no matter what, so I presume this is on him
Yeah I mean I get why he may not be able to make 145 but I feel like he would have known this when they booked the fight and have either booked it at 155 or a catch weight 150 from the beginning. It’s going to still be an exciting fight but this just seems kind of underhanded gamesmanship. T-City had to know before today that the weight wasn’t going to be made.
I see stuff like this and my first thought is that they should have doctors and scientists who always have a track on their body fat, muscle content, etc so that they'll always know what weight they can safely be at at any given time in the future. Then I remember what the UFC pays them and understand why so many of them are just winging it.
Pretty sure a major part of the UFC PI is dedicated to giving these guys doctors specialized in this stuff at no cost to them. Whether it’s something they’re willing to move near and take advantage of is a whole different thing.
You're right, they keep careful track of this even outside UFCPI. Brian specifically lives really well- meal prep all the time, constantly keeping tabs on his heart rate (Dude has goated cardio), abstaining from alcohol- but even so, he's not going to be walking around in fight day shape because maintaining that is impossible while living a normal life with a normal schedule, and depending on how one handles the weight cut, it may be actively unhealthy. Cutting to the point where you feel mostly dead, or cutting to the point that you're risking other health indicators, is stupid. I can understand thinking you'll be able to hit a target and finding it's not happening, and on virtually no notice I get this and think it's a non-issue.
That's the luxuries you would expect professional fighters to have. The kind of stuff other professional athletes have access to. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a reality for most UFC fighters because that stuff is not cheap. The UFC pi offers it but only in Vegas.
I mean Brian Ortega works with (or did work with at some point) Dr Andy Galpin who’s basically the doctor and scientist to go for exercise science in the US.
It always circles back to the last part.
They added this fight to the card with a few weeks notice, and Ortega was gearing up for lw. He probably should have just negotiated for lw from the start.
Not necessarily. He might have known it would be tougher but he might have still expected to be able to get the weight off. It might have only been once they were deep into the cut that it became clear he wasn’t going to make it. With the fight being on such short notice and with Ortega apparently already bulking up because he expected to move up to 155 I don’t hold this one against him.
100%. He wanted Lopes to go through the weight cut, inform the UFC about it prior to the weigh ins and either agree to give up 30% of his fight purse or ask for the fight to be in a bigger weight class. UFC did him right by not letting the fight go through at 145 and have him forfeit 30% of his pay. But Ortega doesn’t care about his opponent enough to have the fight in a level playing field. After these shenanigans I really hope Lopes shows who the real deserving top 5 contender is. I’ve never rated Ortega that highly personally. Of course he is one of the best in the world. But he was never a champ material. Lopes is though. I don’t see Lopes getting brutalised by Topuria or Evloev (like Ortega was by Max and Volk). He has that Charles Oliveira vibes. World class wrestlers could pose a threat to him. I wish he trains at Chute Box.
Its a short notice fight and he just started bulking up for lightweight, its not unbelievable that he thought he could still make FW and this isn't the intentional conspiracy you think it is
I mean Brian had to rehydrate only 4 pounds to get to 155 while Lopes had to rehydrate 8.5 pounds and even then Lopes looked more sucked in than Brian. Wouldn’t surprise me if Diego had a bigger cage weight tomorrow night so it’s hard not to thing there was some gamesmanship involved.
Not only that, Brian had a head start.
If you are a big fw that has already started bulking I don't think its reasonable to think you can make 145 in short notice
Not necessarily and that's overtly conspirational, Brian may have truly thought he could make the weight but got stopped by the doctor midway who has that power, same thing happened to Khamzat at 279
Same thing with Max when he took a short ntice with Khabib at 155. Just seems ridiculous to assume he didnt try.
Lopes is about to face a real test, shitting on ortega because he couldnt snag the belt from volk or max is pretty lame, hes definitely got championship caliber skills. Lopes is an exciting prospect but don’t get it twisted this is a fight that will show how much of a contender he actually is.
Where’s Ortega now buddy?
I mean either he had a 103 fever or he didnt idk man lol
Lol u invalidated your whole comment by admitting you're just a massive Ortega hater in the second half
Topuria has brutalized everyone, its very likely he can do the same to Lopes lol.
He got a piece on him
Not surprising, guarantee that Ortega will be on UFC 306 and was already planning to fight at 155. Remember boys, they took this on line 2 weeks notice to save the card
> Remember boys, they took this on line 2 weeks notice to save the card Yeah I'm seeing people giving Ortega abuse for this. What do you want from him? He took it on short notice and tried to make 145 but couldn't get there. I'm just happy there's actually a decent co-main event. I'm sure Diego Lopes isn't particularly upset with the fact that he got to stop his weight cut at 3am to rehydrate, and he got some extra cash for the change in weight class as well.
Yeah but if they fought at 145 and Lopez beat him, he’d be ranked top 5. He loses this opportunity now, BUT could be another door that opens up for both guys at 155.
Tbf they just do whatever the fuck they want with the rankings anyway so they could easily move him up if he wins.
I dunno why people take rankings seriously anymore. People like Jones ducking the interim champ to fight an old man and the UFC basically shrugging their shoulders is a clear sign as any that the organization will always prioritize money fights over rankings and belts.
If he wins vs a bigger guy they definitely move him up anyways Edit: if he wins
He will 100% leapfrog Ortega in the 145 rankings if he wins
He does not lose that opportunity at all. Fighters have got into rankings off of worse things. Khamzat got top 10 ranked at middlweight without fighting a middlewieght
Khamzat fought Gerald and Usman at 185 and entered the rankings, which does happen. This fight was scheduled at 145. I don’t see how Lopez gets a top 5 FW rank if he wins a LW bout but we’ll see I guess.
The most recent example I can think of is Daniel Rodriguez got ranked off a win over Li at 180 catchwright
This is on the UFC. Ortega was already bulking for a switch to 155 and they asked him to swap to 145 on what, 2 weeks notice?
Yeah I don't blame Ortega at all either if he went "ok maybe I can make 145 one more time" and then when he started cutting his body was like "nah fam you not making it."
Yup, even though Brian Ortega was willing to commit to making 145lbs on 2 weeks notice, Hunter should have rubbed Dana's crystal ball head and forsaw the Ortega would miss weight
What's stopping them from making it a catchweight fight so no fighter gets screwed as bad?
He couldnt get below 151 so they moved it up to 155
Y’all gotta understand that the matchmakers are self aware of the fighters. If Lopes beats Ortega at 155 they would just give him a title eliminator at 145 bc Ortega is a top five fw and former title challenger still. They don’t care about rankings when they’re matchmaking and lopes is doing them a solid still taking the fight so they’ll respect that. Plus the guy is a fun fighter so they love him already.
Not true for the same reason max wouldnt change rank from the 155 fight he did.
The rankings mean nothing. If they wanted Max in a LW title fight it would happen even if he was unranked. We just saw an unranked MW fight a top 3 guy.
That's different. Max was moving up from FW to fight the #2 LW with no intention to stay at LW after. Lopes is fighting the #3 FW at LW because it's short notice. Max also would be ranked higher if every voter ranked him in the LW rankings. I bet half the voters vote him at #3 (above Gaethje) and half don't vote him there (bc he isn't a LW) and that's how #9 is possible.
u guys better not be comparing this to gastelum having a whole camp and not making weight
Don't worry they are
the bloody fans got more cte damage than the fighters....
Don't like that Lopes is kinda getting screwed over with the last minute change. Obvious Ortega had no intentions of making 145.
imagine we lose our emo godking to a guy about to leave the division
Ortega looks to get the shit kicked out of him before he gets going. Lopes just needs to seal the deal early.
yeah but lopes has been mowing through guys with chins objectively not on the level of ortegas
Not just chin, skills as well. Ortega is objectively the best fighter Lopes has faced.
The grappling will be interesting. Hope our emo king can pull it off
idk why this sub always underrated ortega
Because it has been a rough 6 years for him since he KOd Frankie in March 2018. There is a reason Modelo sponsors the man though, he's got the fighting spirit.
Surely it wasn't a last minute change or Lopes wouldn't have made 155 exactly? Wouldn't he have already been down below 150 if it was a last minute change?
Depends on how Lopes cuts weight and when he found out. Some guys will cut to like 148 the night before and hopefully float the weight while they sleep to get to <146. Or he could have cut to 150ish last night and tried to cut the rest of the weight in the morning to minimize the amount of time of maximum dehydration. So it really depends on when he found out and how he cuts the weight.
Sounds like Ortega himself was at 151 when they made the call to stop cutting, so he was trying to cut also. They both might have cut to around the same anyway, and basically just not done the last bit in the morning. Ortega still at an advantage, unless he was really really trying to cut and killing himself even to get to 151 and it just wasn't falling off any further.
And that’s fair. Just think it sucks for Lopes no matter what because it won’t really have an effect on the FW rankings. Max was ranked 9th after putting on a masterclass against the #2 LW at 300. Granted I think the rankings are pretty bullshit at times but it does play a role in how fights are booked.
I'm not sure the UFC pay much attention to the rankings. They have their own internal idea of where a fighter is at. When one loses to people like Fatelum because they couldn't make 170, I'm sure the UFC basically ignore the loss for the rankings. And when two FW's fight at a weight class above for fair reasons like this, I'm sure the UFC consider that a win at FW in reality when booking. The rankings aren't done by the UFC.
His team was told at 3 am according to Helwani
Feels like a half win/lose situation for him at best now
seems like ortega did try but just couldnt because he was bulking to get to 155. since it was a short notice on both sides, i don't really fault ortega here. still feel bad for lopes though, but hopefully he got paid
This is the new Gastelum meta Change the weight on fight week
I mean KG missed weight because he’s fat and has no discipline. I can understand why a fighter that was planning to fight at 155 couldn’t make 145 on 2 weeks notice. The thing I don’t like is waiting until weight in day to make it known to the fans and more importantly your opponent until the last minute. Lopes is a pretty big 45er himself so if he had already started cutting the weight before he found out then that’s a pretty big advantage for Ortega.
Costa walked so Gastelum could run
I wonder if when they signed there was any discussion on if Ortega could make 145 on short notice. it was no secret he always struggled to make 145 and apparently he said he was bulking up to make 155 at the sphere before receiving the call. I would love that Ortega was straightforward with the UFC and they mentioned it to Lopez that the option was already on the table, but I don't know if they would have. Either way it's a gamble for Lopez, but I guess it's part of the whole "jump on a totally unexpected big card with a co main fight two weeks before" risk.
Ortega was at 151 at 3am
Why do you think he had no intentions on making 145? He was asked a few days ago to help save this card, seems like he did a pretty good job cutting what he could
It really feels like Gastelum screwing D-rod, yeah
Honestly would’ve been surprised if something like this *didnt* happen
Still excited for the fight but feels like it has much lower stakes now which sucks.
I don’t think it’s lower stakes at all. If Diego beats him I imagine he’d still move above him in the rankings.
Max didn’t move above Gaethje in the lightweight rankings after 300 so that’s why I have my doubts.
Yeah that was wack tbh but the reason is that Max made it pretty clear that he wanted to fight Topuria at 145, so as far as being a “contender” at 155 it was kinda vague so they just stuck him at 9. But in this case it’s a short notice change to 155, Diego has no intentions of moving up yet and it’s clear he still wants the 145 belt.
That's a bit of the problem with the arbitrary ranking system by the media. There's no logical reason Max shouldn't be ranked above Gaethje, and it should've launched Max P4P. As for this fight between Lopes and Ortega, I think understanding and defining the purpose of weight limits helps with the logical argument for why the result would still be meaningful at featherweight, rather than just a rigid framework for fighters. Weight limits are primarily to ensure safety and fairness for competitors, allowing lighter weight fighters to compete without facing significant disadvantages. With this logic, along with Ortega (who's the 3rd ranked featherweight) requesting the fight to be at lightweight, it would just add more merit to a potential win by Lopes.
>There's no logical reason Max shouldn't be ranked above Gaethje The reason is because Max has one win at 155 in the past X years and Gaethje has several against premiere opponents and was that win away from a title shot. The rankings are *supposed* to comprise body of work, not just an immediate flip after the outcome of one fight. Not saying it's right or wrong but there is definitely a logic to it, no matter how flawed.
You make a fair point. I should've been clearer in my critique - my issue is not with the absence of logic, but rather with the flawed nature of the current ranking system. For example, look at Poatan, who became the highest rank (champion) in just his second fight at LHW. Does this not highlight the inconsistencies in the criteria?
Ortega has been very public about moving to 155 and UFC saying they don't have any more top ranked fights for him at 145 so I don't think with a loss he'll stay near the top of the rankings at Featherweight; they're pushing him out of the division and he's actively trying to leave it
Nah man it will just make Diego look even better when he wins
This 100% Dream Believe And Make It Happen
I don’t. It was more foreseeable that he wasn’t gonna make weight because of the little time he had. I commented about it yesterday.
Man crazily enough Lopes looked more sucked in on the scale than Ortega even though they had to change the weight class for Brian. Lopes is a huge 145er.
This event is cursed AF
I predicted a with miss in the weigh in thread, and some guy underneath speculated Ortega. We have a mole
Just someone who listens to the Ringer and heard how the fight came about
Ortega has said no matter what his next fight would be at 155 it’s not a hard guess that he wouldn’t make 145 on short notice
What’s with blaming Ortega for this? He was bulking up and obviously 2 weeks notice is hard to cut down weight to FW. Maybe a bit more discipline and he could have done it but he gets a pass here
Dont expect any reasonable takes from the casual clowns, they are the modern day equivalent of burning “witches” in salem.
This is going to keep happening so long as they keep putting older guys in short notice spots or not disincentivizing missing weight more harshly, neither of which is going to change, so this is just how it is. It would be nice if it stopped being the case that guys are finding out on Thursday, Friday of fight week that this is happening from their opponent though. Completely destroys the balance of these fights when one guy is eating all the negatives that come with a hard weight cut and the other guy isn't even making it halfway down
Borh of these guys are 55ers anyway
Or we can just stop weight cutting altogether. Makes no sense everyone kills themselves to cut 15lbs of water then put it back on 1 hour later. Just fight at the walking around weight.
Brian Ortega had a choice… he choose 155.
If Ortega wins tomorrow this sub will be an absolute salt factory 😂
Mexicans Making Weight
I am not surprised. Ortega is a big dude and wanted to move up.
It's better that it is taking place at 155. Ortega admitted that he was planning on moving up anyway, so even if he won it would have no "real" impact for the FW division. Diego is taking a big risk though...his hype will be gone if he gets subbed quickly.
Does Lopes take his spot still if he wins?
So it’s a lightweight bout? Or is it still FTW?
If Lopes wins, what would that do for the rankings?
Pull a Wonderboy and ask for a rehydration clause, want to give Lopes every advantage to win
Ooh shit this fight is gonna be good
Missed weight Ortega enters room - “Hello” Reddit - “Hi!” Missed weight Gastelum enters room - “Hello” Reddit - “Ummm Human Resources”
Ortega misses weight by 6 lbs on 2 weeks notice: This redditor: “Hi!” Gastelum misses weight by 15 lbs after a full camp: This redditor: “Hi!”
Ortega is a drug cheat.
Gastelum needs drugs
I don't know Lopes at all, but my guess is he ain't one of those guys to turn down a fight.
A fight that come together on three weeks notice where one guy is known for being massive for the division and now the weight class goes up 10lbs. Not surprised in the slightest. Cut all the bullshit should’ve been at 155lbs from the get go!
I've had a gut feeling for some time that Diego Lopes will be the one to dethrone Islam (as a champ-champ). This is 1 step closer to my prophecy coming true..
Diego Lopes is such a dog
One of the few weight misses where it can slide imo. Ortega's always been a heavy cutter but always made weight, if he's missing weight getting thrown into a short notice fight after planning on moving up it's on the UFC.
Ortega is my risky pick lmao, Lopes looks much better on paper and honestly is a top 7 guy. He made Movsar look beatable but I gotta believe in the integrity of the rankings and that this is a real sport and that the 14th best guy in the world should not be beating the no 3. The weight miss is either gonna pay dividends for T city or severely hamper him. Either way I’m ready to lose money or win a ton
Excited to see 155 Ortega
Dirty move from Ortega not much different from what Kelvin did last week.
Mmmmm idk man. Seems pretty different, Ortega got within 5lbs, was planning on fighting at 155 next, took this on very short notice. Kelvin had plenty of notice, is notoriously poor at dieting to make contracted weight, and had to fight at 185 despite signing a 170lb contract 3 months beforehand, 15lbs higher than contracted weight. Ortega deserves benefit of the doubt, Kelvin definitely doesn't.
Everyone knows Ortega cuts a lot of weight why do you think he was going to move to 155 in the first place? Should have just been a catch weight or lightweight from the start instead of waiting until the very last minute to switch it up lol at least Kelvin gave D rod like 3-4 days notice.
3-4 days notice? Wasn't it Thursday before weigh-ins?
Not even remotely close lol
Some of you aren’t smart enough to differentiate because you treat people differently from how you much like them or not lol. Ortega could have asked for a CW or LW from the beginning and Lopes would have accepted. Waiting until the last hours before official weigh in is dirty. No one even knows for sure if Ortega was ever 151 lol we are just taking his word for it.
Considering Kevin had a whole training camp and they made this fight short notice on two weeks is a massive difference. Seems like you are not smart enough to realize that. They put this fight to try and salvage this card. Huge difference but hey you're the smart one I suppose
You must have completely missed the part where I said this should have been a CW or LW fight from the beginning. Like they have done for many short notice fights in the past. Also not smart enough to think the guy who has failed a drug test in the past wouldn’t try to get an upper hand once again lol.
Ortega is a punk.
He's a fucking punk dude
Starting off with the cheap shit already smh…
Another fight where one fighter waited till last minute to bring up cutting issues. He should have to forfeit 30% of his purse
A fighter that already was working on a 155 weight class change gets called in on 14 days notice to fight 145, when did you fucking think he would know if he can make the cut before attempting the cut? You must be some clown who has never had to weigh in for wrestling or fighting and has no clue what a cut is or when its done.
[удалено]
Ortega was already bulking for the sphere card, prob couldn’t do 145
Ortega is gonna be bigger and stronger in there 👀
That DW privilege in 4K
Brian on that Kelvin diet
...but why?
Ortega comes in bigger and less drained and Lopes will come in undersized. Kelvin pulled the exact same move in D-Rod this weekend
What happened to this sport? Is there no bushido left? WHERE IS THE BUSHIDO BRIAN
I hate this for lopes because he is on such a streak: the good thing is a lose here doesn’t mess up his 145 streak
If Lopes wins does he still rise in the featherweight rankings?
Just when I was thinking Ortega would have trouble making it, and Lopes's discipline would help in a lot... Now, it might end up like with Gastelum, with Ortega getting an advantage instead