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Brett Okamoto
A featherweight matchup between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will still take place at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Shanghai, although at a different weight class.
Ortega (16-4) and Sterling (24-5) will fight at the 155-pound lightweight limit, after both fighters weighed in at 153 pounds Friday. The UFC did not provide a reason for the switch, although it’s well known that Ortega struggles to make the featherweight limit of 145 pounds and has been contemplating a permanent move up.
The nontitle contest is scheduled for five rounds in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night at Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Sterling is a former 135-pound champion who moved to featherweight after his title loss to Sean O’Malley in August 2019. The 36-year-old is working his way to a second UFC belt and is 1-1 in his new weight class. The loss came against No. 1-ranked contender Movsar Evloev in December.
Ortega is 1-3 in his past four appearances, although two of the losses came against undisputed or interim champions in Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez.