Can this even be done?: Inside the frantic chaos that led to UFC 303s shortest-notice fight in history [Video]

Hundreds of fighters have taken short-notice fights. For some, short-notice means a few weeks. For others, it means a few days.

For Dan Ige, it meant a couple of hours.

At UFC 303, Ige accepted a co-main event matchup against rising star Diego Lopes without any training camp or preparation, much less any time to actually put together a strategy.

On the other side, Lopes had to endure a roller-coaster ride of his own. After accepting a featherweight bout against Brian Ortega just two weeks prior, Lopes found out less than 48 hours before fight night that the two-time title challenger couldn’t make the 145-pound limit. The fighters agreed to compete at lightweight instead, but by Saturday afternoon, Lopes lost Ortega as an opponent.

How exactly did all this come together, culminating in the shortest-notice fight in UFC history? This particular story actually starts one day earlier.

Friday, June 28: 3:30 a.m. PT

Fast asleep and already on weight at 146 …