Diego Lopes is coming in on his biggest fight in UFC yet. Later this June, Lopes will take on Brian Ortega at UFC 303. With just four fights into his UFC career, he will fight the #3 ranked featherweight in the UFC. This fight could potentially lead to a big opportunity for the Brazilian.
Diego Lopes recently went on video addressing his upcoming fight with Brian Ortega. Lopes talked to ESPN Deportes about how he landed this matchup against Ortega for UFC 303. The rising featherweight performed valiantly at UFC 300 and now jumped on board to face the biggest test of his career yet.
I know people will complain because I’m the 14th-ranked. I know UFC offered the fight to other fighters who are in the rankings and don’t have a fight. I know they didn’t take, so they called me, and they knew that I was going to take the biggest fight of my career against the No. 3 in the world.
Diego Lopes via ESPN Deportes
Lopes is pretty new in the promotion. However, he has more career fights under his belt than his UFC 303 opponent. Meanwhile, Brian Ortega has fought in the UFC since 2014. He recently made a comeback this year with a third-round submission against Yair Rodriguez at the UFC Mexico City event.
Diego Lopes believes he can earn a title shot with a win over Brian Ortega at #UFC303
“I know people will complain because I’m the 14th ranked but I’m sure they offered the fight to other fighters in the rankings and they said no. That’s why they called me”
Via @ESPNDeportes pic.twitter.com/OH5QvC743t
— Carlos Contreras Legaspi 🦁 (@CCLegaspi) June 14, 2024
Lopes talked about how fighting Ortega is a golden opportunity for him to step forward in the division. If Lopes defeats Ortega, he will likely enter the top five. Lopes has consecutively finished his last three opponents in the first round. He said if he similarly beats Brian Ortega, he would deserve to step in for a title shot.
When did Diego Lopes enter the UFC rankings?
Diego Lopes completed one year in the UFC last month. With four fights under his belt, needless to say, the Brazilian fighter is pretty new in the promotion. So, how did he secure #14 in the featherweight division rankings?
Diego Lopes will take on his biggest fight yet this June at UFC 303 (Image via Imago)With just eleven months in the UFC, Diego Lopes scored two first-round KOs and one first-round submission wins. He earned three Performance Of The Night bonuses, fought at the iconic Madison Square Garden, and also featured on the fight card of UFC 300. Initially, his excellent performance at the MSG did not help his rankings. It took until his UFC 300 performance to receive the official UFC rankings.
A movie went through my head… I expected to enter the rankings after the fight in New York, but it didn’t happen. But now I have my name among the best 15 in the world, so for me, it’s very gratifying.
Diego Lopes via Hablemos MMA (H/T MMA Junkie)
Lopes said he wanted tough fights. He said it motivates him a lot to prepare even better. Well, Brian Ortega at #3 featherweight is definitely a tough fight for the Brazilian. It will be interesting to see how Lopes executes this last-minute opportunity later this month at UFC 303.
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