Dan Ige was one half of the co-main event of UFC 303, but that hardly tells the full story of how he stepped into a fight with Diego Lopes on just a few hours’ notice. Ige talks to Grind City Media’s John Morgan about the experience, which started on a massage table and ended him receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.Featuring a cameo from former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, Ige relives the wild day and takes a look to the future, which could involve a fight at the UFC’s Sphere event in September, while also trying to put a historic night into perspective.


0:00 – Introduction
1:34 – Ali Abdelaziz’s frantic question: “You want to fight tonight?”
7:06 – “Be on Las Vegas Blvd. and Silverado Ranch at the Shell station in 30 minutes”
9:13 – Setting the standard for short-notice fights with “absolute legend” Diego Lopes
11:35 – “I would do it a million times”
12:58 – Looking forward, and getting some love in a Sean Strickland cameo