Brian Ortega Moves to 155 Pounds After Hospitalizing Weight Cut Scare
Updated
Updated · MMA Fighting · Jun 28
Brian Ortega Moves to 155 Pounds After Hospitalizing Weight Cut Scare
3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Jun 28
Summary
Brian Ortega said his next UFC fight will be at 155 pounds after he passed out during his UFC Shanghai weight cut and woke up in an emergency room.
The scare came before a planned featherweight bout with Aljamain Sterling, which was shifted to a 153-pound catchweight; Ortega said the incident finally convinced him featherweight cuts had become too extreme.
Ortega said he still fought because the event was in China and believes a similar collapse in the United States likely would have gotten him pulled from the card.
The 10-month-absent former featherweight contender wants camps to focus on training rather than dieting, though he has not fully ruled out a future return to 145 pounds.
A lightweight matchup with Renato Moicano was already booked for UFC 326 before Ortega withdrew with injuries, and he said he is open to rescheduling that fight.