No Sphere! UFC 303 savior Dan Ige shipped to Abu Dhabi, rewarded with undefeated killer [Video]

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Remember UFC 303? Just about a month ago, the card fell apart a half-dozen times, forcing unprecedented actions from the promotion. When Brian Ortega pulled out of his scheduled co-main event versus Diego Lopes on the day of the event, UFC turned to Las Vegas local Dan Ige to save the card.

Ige, who wasn’t scheduled to fight for another few weeks, weighed in and fought on just four hour’s notice. He went to war opposite Lopes — himself a short-notice replacement as well — and ultimately lost a competitive decision to the rising star. In the immediate aftermath, Ige was showered with love from the community and promised a major opportunity in his next fight.

He felt like a winner.

After the fight, both Lopes and Ige requested to fight at the Noche UFC event in the Las Vegas Sphere. Lopes received his wish and will face Brian Ortega next, but Ige didn’t make the cut. After …