Brian Ortega has a different type of motivation going into UFC 303 on Saturday. Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was not originally scheduled to fight at the event. But then the phone rang with an opportunity to fight Diego Lopes on 17 days’ notice in a featherweight bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), as part of the restructured International Fight Week lineup in the aftermath of Conor McGregor’s injury withdrawal. Ortega revealed he was planning for a move up to the lightweight division for a Sept. 14 fight at UFC 306 before being offered the fight with Lopes (23-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC).
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