Noche UFC, which takes place in the renowned Las Vegas Sphere, is anticipated to be the UFC’s largest pay-per-view event of 2024. There have been no official announcements about the fights. Thus, many rumors have been made regarding the fight card. With two months to the event, top featherweight Brian Ortega has teased his supposed involvement.
Earlier this year, ‘T-City’ defeated Yair Rodriguez by submission in the third round of their match. After that, Ortega received an unexpected offer to fight Diego Lopes on the UFC 303 card, which was also scheduled to include Conor McGregor. Unfortunately, the BJJ star got sick and had to withdraw from the fight. Now, Ortega wants to get back in action, particularly inside the Sphere.
Let’s give em a shot. Some new headphones for this camp. #sphere.
Brian Ortega via Instagram Story
Ortega has been scrambling to return to the octagon since his UFC 303 mess-up. The featherweight fighter publicly accepted that he let his ego come in the way, which ruined his fight camp. With his recent update, it’s possible that Ortega gave a clear indication as to when he might return to action.
CEO of the UFC, Dana White, recently disclosed that he has invested more than $17 million in the Sphere event. Regarding the event’s main and co-main events, there are a number of rumors. To add firepower to the event, Ortega’s involvement remains valuable. As such, a perfect opponent also exists for UFC’s celebrations of the Mexican Independence Day in the Sphere.
Brian Ortega’s potential opponent at the Las Vegas Sphere
Before the cancellation, the Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes fighter had fans on their toes. After Ortega pulled out, Dan Ige voluntarily stepped in and put on a great fight along with Lopes. This further boosted the Brazilian’s popularity, getting him callouts from other top featherweights, including Aljamain Sterling. However, Lopes had no interest in that fight.
Diego Lopes wants to fight Brian Ortega (via X)In a recent interview with Canal Encarada, Diego Lopes talks about his current position in the featherweight division. According to Lopes, fighting the former bantamweight champion doesn’t make sense for him. Instead, Lopes wants UFC to rebook his fight with Brian Ortega at the Sphere.
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.
Diego Lopes via Canal Encarada’s YouTube channel
At UFC 303, Lopes had the chance to be paid without ever entering the octagon, but he chose to take the chance. Lopes will likely have the same mindset; thus, facing elite featherweights like Ortega could be the best option. Fans, though, would really like to see this bout go down without a hitch this time. Everything now rests on the UFC’s decision about the highly anticipated Las Vegas Sphere event.
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