Ortega vs. Sterling: Weight Change for the Shanghai Fight
The expected featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling, scheduled for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Shanghai, will undergo a modification in its weight class.
Ortega and Sterling will face each other at the lightweight limit of 155 pounds, after both fighters weighed in at 153 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in. The UFC has not revealed the reasons for this change.
It is well known that Ortega has difficulty reaching the featherweight limit of 145 pounds, and has even considered permanently moving up a weight class.
This 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 up to featherweight after losing his title to Sean O’Malley in August 2019. The 36-year-old fighter is seeking his second belt in the UFC and has a 1-1 record in his new division. His most recent loss was against Movsar Evloev, number one contender, in December.
Ortega has a record of 1-3 in his last four appearances, although two of those losses were against undisputed or interim champions, Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.
