Dan Ige’s preparation in the lead up to his short-notice UFC 303 clash against Diego Lopes was like something straight out of a movie script.
Ige was getting a massage at his home in Las Vegas — with his phone on “do not disturb” mode — when his wife told him multiple people were trying to reach him. When Ige checked his phone, he had 10 missed calls combined from his mother, who had also been contacted by people trying to reach him, UFC execs and MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Abdelaziz, who is not even Ige’s manager, offered to set up a short-notice clash on that very day to save the UFC 303 co-main event, which was jeopardized by Brian Ortega pulling out due to a fever.