What’s a UFC card without a little weigh-in drama? For UFC Shanghai, that drama came as Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling weighed in.
The last two fighters to hit the scales, rumors were flying that Ortega had been hospitalized and was out of the fight. An ambulance had been seen at the fighter hotel, related or not, but as it turned out, the fight was on. At a catchweight, however, with both men weighing in at 153 pounds.
While the weight issue was reportedly on Ortega’s side, it mattered not. “T-City” versus “The Funkmaster” was a go. A former 135lb champ (Sterling) versus a former featherweight title challenger (Ortega), in a five-round co-main event.
Whether Ortega was compromised by a tough weight cut wasn’t apparent early, but Aljamain Sterling the one pressing forward. Sterling chopped at Ortega’s lead leg, inside and out. In a low-output round, Ortega was single-digits in strikes landed, while neither man appeared to have any thought of a takedown.
The leg kicks continued for Aljamain Sterling in round two; Ortega was showing a bit of redness as a result. Sterling was still well ahead in the striking department, though he nearly created an opening for Ortega with a spinning attack. Ortega’s lead leg was showing some welts or lumps. Aljo then landed a punch that saw Ortega complaining about an eye poke. The ref ruled it a punch, but Sterling actually stopped and opted to give Ortega a break, a questionable tactical move to say the least. Good sportsmanship, but a replay did show it was a punch. Ortega got his break, the round closed out, and Sterling had given away a chance to finish.
Sterling nearly had a takedown off a caught kick in the third, but he couldn’t quite dump Ortega. “T-City” was still having output issues, but he at least hadn’t slowed either. Ortega slipped, tripped up by an Aljo leg kick. Ortega then landed a kick of his own, as the pair traded kicks tit-for-tat. Sterling went upstairs with a kick, after feinting a spinning attack. The crowd was getting restless after three low-action rounds; Ortega’s corner was restless as well, telling their fighter they needed “this whole minute” as the round wore down. Sterling finished the frame with a spinning attack.
Round four found Ortega more than likely behind on the scorecards. Sterling was still moving well, staying outside, forcing Ortega to follow. Ortega tried to cut off the cage, and finally connected with a combination that led to a clinch with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth. Sterling, however, was in control in a flash, pressing Ortega into the fence, then landing a takedown. One minute was on the clock, and Ortega didn’t have much time to work. Sterling was in Ortega’s guard, which he soon closed. Ortega then used the fence to spin himself around, while Sterling fired off some ground n’ pound before the horn sounded.
Ortega’s corner called for a finish, preferably early in the round, ahead of the fifth. He came out with a little more pep in his step, and they’d soon clinched up. That didn’t last long, and Ortega then changed levels for a takedown only to end up reversed and on his back. Near the midway mark, Ortega clipped Sterling with a right hand. Suddenly, Aljo was retreating, and Ortega, after four and a half rounds, was finally in the fight. Ref Herb Dean then warned Sterling for timidity after he continued to retreat. Two minutes remains, and Sterling ducked under, slipped around and took the back. He’d end up dragging Ortega down, taking the back briefly but ended up in guard. That left Ortega firing hammerfists off his back, while Sterling landed body shots. Sterling opened up, Ortega nearly scrambled out, but instead Sterling got back on top, with the pair punching back-and-forth on the ground until the horn sounded.
Official Result: Aljamain Sterling def. Brian Ortega by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
