UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes will seemingly take nothing but a top five opponent for his planned appearance at the Sphere this fall — excluding Movsar Evloev.
Lopes is a few weeks on from his latest success on mixed martial arts’ stage. The Mexico-based Brazilian had his hand raised in the UFC 303 co-main event, ending what had been a tumultuous International Fight Week for him with a fourth straight win.
After original opponent Brian Ortega withdrew on the day having already forced a change in weight on the Friday, Lopes was left sharing the Octagon with Dan Ige on just hours’ notice.
The 29-year-old outpointed “50K” and was rewarded with a boost to #12 in the featherweight rankings. Next up, Lopes is looking to break into the top 10, but he won’t be wilfully accepting anyone above him in the pecking order…
Lopes Not Interested In First-Time Sterling Fight Or Evloev Rematch
During a recent interview with Canal Encarada, Lopes looked back on his victory on June 29 and addressed what he hopes will come on the heels of it.
In the aftermath of UFC 303, Lopes called for a spot on the upcoming Noche UFC card at the Sphere on September 14. He’s since been called out for that date by two top 10 contenders in former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and ex-opponent Movsar Evloev.
But having been scheduled to do battle with higher-ranked featherweight in Brian Ortega, Lopes has little interest squaring off against Sterling or Evleov, and that’s in spite of the Russian sitting inside the top five.
“It doesn’t make sense now,” Lopes said when asked about possibly facing Sterling next (h/t MMA Fighting). “We were going to fight the number three in the world, then we fought the number 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.
“They know I’m in a good spot right now, They know I was going to fight the number three in the world and I’m kicking down the door for a title fight, so they want the buzz for themselves,” Lopes continued. “It makes no sense for them to call me out since they’re ranked higher than me. It makes no sense, but they know I’m generating a lot (of buzz) with fans and the UFC.”
Lopes has instead called for a rearranged bout against Ortega or a Sphere meeting with ex-featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski.
Sterling, meanwhile, acknowledged the Brazilian’s stance and readjusted his sights to Evloev, reiterating his willingness to face the unbeaten Russian at a September event.
- Read More: UFC Expected To Choose O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili For Sphere Main Event Over Topuria vs. Holloway
Continue Reading Diego Lopes Dismisses Aljamain Sterling, Movsar Evloev Fights For UFC 306 At The Sphere: ‘Makes No Sense’ at MMA News.