Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will compete at a 153-pound catchweight after both weighed in at 153 pounds at the UFC Shanghai official weigh-in. Rumors circulated that Ortega had been hospitalized and that an ambulance was seen at the fighter hotel, suggesting a difficult weight cut. The contracted featherweight limit was 146 pounds. Sterling moved to featherweight at UFC 300, defeating Calvin Kattar before losing to Movsar Evloev. Ortega is 16-4 (1NC) and 1-3 in his last four fights, entering this bout off a loss to Diego Lopes. UFC Shanghai is scheduled for August 23, 2025.
News swirled during Thursday's (Friday local time) UFC Shanghai official weigh-in that Ortega had been hospitalized, with rumors of an ambulance seen at the fighter hotel. The entire card had weighed in before the UFC finally announced that both Ortega and Sterling had hit the scales at 153 pounds for their co-main event fight. That's well above the contracted featherweight limit, which should have maxed out at 146lbs.
Sterling (24-5), meanwhile, moved to featherweight in conjunction with UFC 300 last year, winning his debut there against Calvin Kattar. The "Funkmaster" followed that up with a loss against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev. Ortega (16-4, 1NC) is 1-3 in his last four trips to the octagon, and will enter the fight coming off a loss against Diego Lopes. UFC Shanghai takes place Saturday, August 23, 2025 and is headlined by light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang.
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