Ortega vs. Sterling: Weight Change for the Shanghai Fight
The anticipated featherweight clash between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will undergo a significant change for the UFC Fight Night event in Shanghai.
Originally scheduled for the featherweight category, the fight will now be contested in the lightweight division, with a limit of 155 pounds.
Both fighters, Ortega and Sterling, weighed in at 153 pounds at Friday’s official weigh-in.
The UFC has not revealed the reasons behind this change, although it is known that Ortega has had difficulties reaching the 145-pound weight and has considered permanently moving up a weight class.
This non-title fight 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 the title to Sean O’Malley in August 2019. At 36 years old, Sterling is seeking a second belt in the UFC and currently has a 1-1 record in his new weight class. His most recent loss was against Movsar Evloev in December.
Ortega, for his part, presents a 1-3 record in his last four appearances, with two of those losses against undisputed or interim champions, such as Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.
