Diego Lopes outlines his intention to face Brian Ortega next, then Alexander Volkanovski
Diego Lopes was able to defeat Dan Ige via unanimous decision in a 165-pound catchweight bout after his opponent stepped in on a few hours' notice to save the UFC 303 bout. The No.14-ranked featherweight revealed that he is hoping to face Brian Ortega or Alexander Volkanovski in his next trip to the octagon.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Lopes stated:
"We would love the Brian rematch - or the reprogramming of the fight. We would love that opportunity as long as he can make 145, he's healthy and can come back for that fight, but if he's not then we would love to fight Volkanovski. It would just be a great accolade for him and another scale up the ladder for his career."
Check out Diego Lopes' comments on facing Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski below:
Lopes was originally set to face Ortega at UFC 303 after the pair accepted the bout on just over two weeks' notice. The clash was moved from featherweight to lightweight after his opponent missed weight and eventually called off as 'T-City' fell ill hours before.
While Ortega may be unable to make 145 pounds, and Volkanovski will likely fight for the title when he is ready to return from his hiatus, the No.14-ranked featherweight will likely have an opportunity to fight a highly-ranked opponent in his return to the octagon. Lopes has shared that he is looking to return at UFC 306.
Diego Lopes fires back at Movsar Evloev following UFC 303 victory
Diego Lopes made his UFC debut on five days' notice, losing to Movsar Evloev via unanimous decision. Following the former's victory over Dan Ige at UFC 303, the No.5-ranked featherweight took to X, stating:
"Your biggest win in UFC is losing to me #ufc303"
Lopes responded in comments shared by Championship Rounds, who tweeted:
"Diego Lopes responds to Movsar Evloev, who said that Diego's biggest win was losing to him: "What [I've] done in one year in the UFC, [Movsar] hasn't accomplished or come even close to it." 😳 (via. @arielhelwani #TheMMAHour) #UFC #MMA"
Check out Movsar Evloev's tweet and Diego Lopes' response below:
While Evloev is undefeated and has angled for the opportunity to challenge Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title, he is likely one win away from the opportunity as the division's title picture is crowded. It is unclear if the promotion would have interest in having the pair rematch at UFC 306.