Dan ’50K’ Ige, the 33-year-old featherweight contender, was the UFC’s knight in shining armor at UFC 303. He saved the promotion’s skin from a turbulent card. Despite succumbing to a unanimous decision loss to Diego Lopes that night in June, the fighter won a lot of hearts for accepting the short-notice fight, and stepping up to the occasion.
Fast forward to UFC 308, his stocks may have taken a minor blow following the loss to unbeaten Lerone Murphy. The MMA community, though, still adores him. And they are curious to know more about the Hawaiian’s personal life.
Dan is strictly a family man, happily married to Savannah Ige with whom he shares a son. Since the days of joining the promotion in 2018 through Dana White’s Contender Series, his wife remains his main source of motivation and strength.
While the exact beginning of their relationship is unclear, the two lovers got it official on January 23, 2020. A year later, they welcomed their son, Bam.
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In fact, the couple often expresses their love for each other through social media posts, sharing their personal pictures.
Savannah is a professional nutrition expert. She also has a deep-rooted love for cross-fit endurance training, and is an astute coach with 11 years of experience in the field.
As of now, the couple is awaiting the arrival of their second child (a baby girl). Their social media suggests Savannah to be in her final stages of pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Daddy Ige faces the task of refocusing after the loss against Murphy. He has done the rebounding act before, after his loss to Lopez.
Defeat hasn’t disheartened the fighter in the past. Instead it has fueled him to become better and that’s exactly what he would be aiming to do now. Pre-bout Ige was planning to go hard at Murphy.
Ige on his fight with ‘new blood’ Murphy
Four hours. That’s what Dan Ige had before he stepped inside the cage with young and coming Lopes at UFC 303. While the bout left an L in his resume, it also eternalized Ige as a legitimate contender in the featherweight division, owing to a performance that saw him lose only via a close decision.
The 33-year-old reflected on his UFC journey, claiming defeat to be a necessary factor in character development.
“I’m doing pretty good, just acclimating to Abu Dhab. I’m excited to compete; this will be my second time fighting here, so I’m looking to make up for that first one and go home a winner this time.”
Well, that turned out to be a tough proposition. Speaking about Murphy, ahead of the bout, Ige shared his admiration.
“He has a great career, undefeated, it’s nice to have new blood, a new face, a new rising contender; I just look forward to fighting and beating him.”
We all know now why Ige subtly praised Murphy earlier.
