Ortega vs. Sterling: Weight Class Change Fight at UFC Fight Night
The highly anticipated featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will take place on Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Shanghai, albeit with a significant change in weight class.
Originally scheduled for the featherweight division, the fight will now be contested at the lightweight limit of 155 pounds.
Both Ortega and Sterling weighed in at 153 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in.
Although the UFC has not revealed the official reasons behind this change, it is known that Ortega has had difficulties making weight in the 145-pound featherweight category, even considering a permanent change.
The fight, which is not for the title, is scheduled for five rounds and will be the co-main event of UFC Fight Night at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Sterling, former 135-pound champion, moved to the featherweight division after losing his title to Sean O’Malley in August 2019. The 36-year-old fighter is looking to obtain a second UFC belt and has a 1-1 record in his new weight class. His most recent loss was against Movsar Evloev in December.
Ortega, for his part, has a 1-3 record in his last four appearances, with two of those losses against undisputed or interim champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.
