Soundly defeated by Sterling Ortega lost to Aljamain Sterling via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at UFC Shanghai on Saturday. Impact The story heading into this fight was how brutal Ortega looked on the scales and in face-offs, as a bad weight cut led to this scheduled featherweight fight getting moved to a 153-pound catchweight. Credit to Ortega for still showing up -- barely. Ortega did very little from the opening bell, landing just two significant strikes for the entirety of Round 1. The remaining frames weren't much better, with Ortega getting out-landed in each and surrendering three takedowns in Rounds 4 and 5 to seal his fate. He did have a big moment late, but Sterling ultimately weathered the storm. It's back to the drawing board once again for Ortega, who has now lost four of his last five fights, albeit against the elite the featherweight division has to offer. His days of title-implicating fights may be past him, however, especially if he can no longer get the weight cut under control.
AUGUST 24 • ROTOWIRE