UFC featherweight Dan Ige recently came up with an amusing comparison for his short-notice UFC 303 fight. Ige has become somewhat of a UFC legend since no other fighter has taken up a fight on a four-hour notice while looking just as impressive as his opponent. Although he eventually lost the bout, fans hailed Ige for his bravery, and now, the fighter has revealed what it was like to prepare for a bout on such short notice.
Ige took on Diego Lopes at UFC 303 after the latter’s original opponent Brian Ortega suddenly pulled out of the fight after falling severely ill. In a recent interview with the UFC, Ige spoke to Matt Serra about the experience of fighting on such short notice, saying
“In a way it felt natural, it’s like at school you don’t have a fight planned for eight weeks. You get in a beef with someone, hey you’re fighting at 3 pm…That’s kinda what it felt like.”
The featherweight fighter did not have a game plan going into the fight. With just 4 hours to prepare, all he could do was try to beat his opponent. Hence, in a way, it was like an impromptu brawl, which is why he compared it to fighting in school, which is always unplanned and sudden.
Interestingly, the comparison might be more accurate than what fans believe, since the fight was on such short notice that Ige didn’t even have time to prepare his kit bag.
Ige reveals how he prepared to go up against Lopes
UFC 303 was an eventful day for Ige. He went from being an audience at the prelims to fighting in the co-main event of the evening. In a recent interview with Michael Bisping for his YouTube channel, the featherweight spoke about his preparation for the fight, saying,
“So I’m running around the house I’m like what do I need? Mouth piece, cup, and I was like wow I don’t have my cup it’s at the gym. So I called Eric I was like bro are you near the gym? Grab my cup.”
Dan Ige: “We had to size up on the cup.”
YT / @bisping #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/Ayf6eh6E3u
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 2, 2024
Imagine sitting at home watching a fight night, only to be told just hours late to pack up your bags and fight in the main event. A feat like this is truly commendable, especially against a fighter with a full training camp.
Moreover, even though Ige lost the fight, he put on a solid performance and even looked like he had more gas in the tank left than Lopes.
