UFC 303 got a major shakeup last night. Dana White took to social media and announced that Conor McGregor sustained an injury that was forcing him out of the main event against Michael Chandler. Jamahal Hill also injured his knee and was out of the co-main event against Carlos Ulberg.
The UFC worked tirelessly and booked three new fights for the card including a new co-main event. White announced that former title challenger Brian Ortega (16-3) would be taking on rising superstar Diego Lopes (24-6) in the new co-main event.
Starting with Ortega, we just saw him defeated Yair Rodriguez earlier this year when the UFC returned to Mexico City. It was dicey early on for Ortega who was dropped by Rodriguez, but he held on and ultimately started to get the fight to the ground in the middle rounds. He ended up submitting Rodriguez in the third.
UFC 303
Diego Lopes stepped in for the UFC on extremely short notice last May when he fought top contender Movsar Evloev. Evloev had looked like an unstoppable monster but Lopes nearly had him beat multiple times. Lopes lost a close decision but earned himself a contract.
Since earning that contract, he’s been unreal. We’ve seen Lopes three times and he has three first round finishes. Most impressively, he took on fellow top contender Sodiq Yusuff back at UFC 300. Lopes stopped him with strikes which really nobody saw coming. If he defeats Ortega in a couple of weeks, he will be right in the title picture at 145 pounds.