Diego Lopes is only four fights into his UFC career, but he already has a name for himself as one of the most exciting fighters. Now on a four-fight winning streak, the Brazilian-born Mexican-resident looked poised for a fight against the top 10. Interestingly, he has already dismissed number 8 and number 5 featherweights as his next opponent, eagerly looking for a higher-ranking matchup.
Speaking to MMAFighting’s Guilhermo Cruz, Lopes revealed his plans at featherweight. “We were going to fight the No. 3 in the world. Then we fought the No. 13 and went up two positions. The UFC has basically guaranteed me a fight with a top-five opponent now. So, Aljamain Sterling makes no sense, and neither does a rematch with Movsar Evloev,” the 29-year-old said.
“I would like to fight Brian Ortega because he has fought for the title twice and he has a ton of experience against the best of the division,” Lopes added, offering to fight Ortega at lightweight if the featherweight rankings were on the line. The 12th-ranked featherweight now prioritizes a matchup against Ortega over fighting anybody in the Las Vegas Sphere at UFC 306.
Max Holloway will take on Ilia Topuria, the champion, later this year. Hence, Lopes hopes he will get a title shot if he is victorious over Ortega, particularly as ‘T-City’ is a former two-time challenger coming off a submission victory over Yair Rodriguez, a former interim champion.
Sterling Responds to Lopes’ Rejection
Aljamain Sterling has not fought since UFC 303, where he debuted at featherweight, defeating Calvin Kattar. Afterward, Sterling has been in social media beef with Mosvar Evloev, with the latter urging to fight soon and the former insistent on a September date. Recently, rumors circulated about talks about a fight between Sterling and Diego Lopes.
After Lopes dismissed the matchup against ‘The Funk Master,’ the former bantamweight champion responded on X. “Makes sense. Which is why I also asked for Ortega. But I’ll take the next highest ranked guy, but with proper time to prepare. No excuses and let the better man win,” the 34-year-old tweeted.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral UFC stories via Google! Follow Us
Sterling seems realistic about a matchup against Evloev, as the winner will likely get a title shot. However, if Lopes wins against Ortega, he will likely leapfrog the American and Russian.
Also Read “The UFC is Clever”- Dan Ige Comments On His Potential Bout Against Diego Lopes at UFC 306
