UFC veteran Dan Ige reacts after seven-month transformation results in third consecutive loss at Noche UFC

Dan Ige spent a long time preparing in order to rejuvenate his career with a move to bantamweight.

Several big featherweight matchups took place on Saturday night, with Jean Silva’s submission of Jose Delgado closing out the card.

A 22-fight veteran who has previously headlined two Fight Night cards in 145-pound matchups was looking to begin a new chapter on September 12.

After Ige was stopped for the first time earlier this year, his attempt to introduce himself in a new weight class resulted in another setback.

It was announced in July that Dan Ige would be dropping down to bantamweight to face off with David Martinez.

While Noche UFC was his first time competing at 135 pounds, he had to put in a lot of work long before September 12 to complete this transition.

Ige referred to his dietician as a “wizard and anomaly” when stating on Instagram that his first mission had been accomplished after he stepped on the scales.

Despite the seven months of commitment and discipline that he referred to in the post, Martinez won a convincing unanimous decision on Saturday night in Arizona.

Ige didn’t wait long before reflecting on this latest setback and giving credit to his opponent.

“Consider it pure joy,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m blessed in more ways than I can put into words. My family loves me deeply, and they are proud of the effort, sacrifice, and work that went into this moment.”

“People see 15 minutes under the lights,” Ige continued. “They don’t see every early morning, every hard round, every meal, every recovery session, every prayer, or every stone I turned to prepare. I was confident and more than ready.

Tonight, Martinez was the better man. I lost the moments in the fight. That hurts. But I’m not defined by an outcome. Defeat is painful, especially when the opinions of outsiders get loud, but the man in the arena is the one who carries the weight of it. I’ll face that pain honestly, with my head up.”

With 22 UFC fights under his belt, the 35-year-old has competed against a who’s who of the featherweight division before leaving for bantamweight.

His best run was between 2018 and 2020, where a six-fight win streak earned him his first of two main event spots, with Calvin Kattar bringing an end to his momentum via unanimous decision.