On Wednesday, June 25th, UFC Fight Night 257 received a major boost with the announcement of Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling at 145 lbs (featherweight). The card is set for Saturday, August 23, 2025, in Shanghai, China, with the bout serving as the co-main event alongside Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang. Yet, just a day before fight night, the matchup underwent a sudden shift.

The weight class was altered from 145 lbs to a 153-pound catchweight. The reason soon became clear, although an official reason wasn’t provided. At the official weigh-ins, Ortega and Sterling faced off one last time before their clash. But when Ortega stepped on the scale, he appeared visibly depleted—propped up by sheer determination rather than strength. Footage of his drained, unsteady frame, staggering slowly to the stage, quickly went viral across social media.

Brian Ortega may go to lightweight next

Following the weigh-ins at a hotel in Shanghai, Instagram handle KnockoutAlerts shared the clip on Instagram, with the caption, “Mhmm… 👀.” Interestingly, Brian Ortega has faced notable challenges in making the 145-pound featherweight limit throughout his career. These struggles reflect both physical and strategic difficulties.

What’s more? Ortega spoke about fighting at lightweight next during the media day event for the UFC Fight Night. When asked why his fight with Aljamain Sterling was at featherweight despite his previous indications of wanting to move up to lightweight, Ortega explained that he had been offered a fight against a “UFC legend” at lightweight, but the opponent declined. 

Regardless, after his struggles to make weight on Friday, fans weren’t having it.

Fan questions why the Aljamain Sterling fight is still happening

The footage appears to have forced fans to speak out loudly about the dangers. One user simply branded Ortega’s state as sad. “Man, this is just sad:/,” one user commented. However, if Ortega can rehydrate properly, he shouldn’t face that many problems during the fight.

Another seemed unsettled by the unwillingness of the organizers to cancel the fight after Ortega’s struggle to make weight. “Why is this fight still happening?” the user asked. While no official reason has been provided, they perhaps changed the weight class to keep the show going. 

Someone else didn’t want to see Ortega fight. “Man, I don’t care, I like him as a fighter. I don’t wanna see this fight, rather, see him healthy,” the user wrote. However, if Ortega is willing to fight despite his struggles, no one can really stop him. 

The clip seems to have forced an early prediction out of this user. “It’s so over for Brian duuuuuude,” the user wrote. Well, only fight night will reveal that. Who knows, Ortega may surprise people at catchweight. 

The next user was surprised to learn the fight was still happening. “Didn’t think this was gonna be saved but here it is catch weight 👏,” the user commented. Fights don’t necessarily get canceled when fighters fail to make weight, but the 34-year-old’s miss was a bit too drastic.

Fans seem to think Brian Ortega is headed for disaster this weekend in Shanghai. And given his state during the weigh-ins, one can understand why. However, do you think there’s a small chance, he shocks the world?