In fact, his failed attempt to reach the 145-pound limit put “T-City” in the hospital, which explains why an ambulance was rushing off from the fighter hotel earlier that morning. Since UFC serves as its own regulatory body overseas, officials were able to overlook the minor details surrounding the unfortunate weight miss.
Like the fact that Ortega was in a 30-minute coma. No big deal, right?
“It was the first time in my career where I passed out,” Ortega told MMA Junkie. “I went into a 30-minute coma. I was cutting weight, went into a 30-minute coma, woke up in the hospital, and they said, ‘Yo, Aljo’s still ready to fight you if you’re down.’ I was like, ‘What?’ Ripped everything off in the ER, I couldn’t speak Mandarin in China, but I just, I kind of signaled like, ‘Yo, take all the IVs out everything.’ And from there got an Uber, rushed to the weigh-ins, weighed in.”
I know all the alpha bros are thumping their chests and praising ”T-City” for his resolve, which is considerable, but whoever is responsible for cornering and managing Ortega should be ashamed. And why the promotion turned a blind eye to a fighter who dehydrated himself into a coma is bewildering.
“And then I even spoke with [Sterling],” Ortega (16-5, 1 NC) continued. “I said, ‘Yo, bro, like I just came out of the hospital.’ But I was like, ‘I’m going to show up.’ He told me they had a backup, but I was like, ‘Bro, like I’ll be there. I’ll be there.’ And that’s kind of what it is. You just show up, and embarrassment, it’s a feeling that not too many people have discovered, but it’s something that we pay the price for going after our dreams.”
