Diego Lopes next fight: Who did the rising contender call out after his dominant win at UFC 295? 

Diego Lopes is riding high after another impressive win this past weekend at UFC 295 and he didn't waste any time setting the stage for his next bout inside the octagon.

The rising contender kicked off the main card in style as he earned a spectacular first-round knockout win over Pat Sabatini that put the featherweight division on notice. It was his second consecutive first-round finish and he looks to continue his ascension up the rankings at 145lbs. His popularity has also risen since debuting on the Contender Series, so the promotion could be looking to capitalize.

During his UFC 295 post-fight press conference, the Brazilian was asked who he'd like to fight next and if he'd like a main event bout. Diego Lopes mentioned that his next opponent will depend on the updated UFC rankings, but expressed interest in fighting No.10-ranked featherweight Bryce Mitchell.

He said:

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"Let's see where the rankings are on Tuesday. But I think if I'm ranked, I feel like fighting Bryce Mitchell, would be a good fight. I think he's somebody who's been looking for a five-round fight, so why not having a main event? And if the UFC want it, I'll be right there to fight him."

'Thug Nasty' most recently fought at UFC Vegas 79, where he earned a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige in the co-main event. It was a significant win as he bounced back from his submission loss to featherweight contender Ilia Topuria, which also happened to be the first loss of his MMA career.

It will be interesting to see whether the UFC books Diego Lopes vs. Bryce Mitchell in the new year. The timing would work out as 'Thug Nasty's bout against Ige took place this past September, so Lopes' bout was within two months.

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