Fight fans and UFC featherweight division – if you didn’t believe in Diego Lopes, do you now? In a fight that was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 before Brian Ortega’s day-of pull-out due to a 103-degree fever, Lopes ended up making a statement scoring a win in a featured bout at Noche UFC […]
Fight fans and UFC featherweight division – if you didn’t believe in Diego Lopes, do you now?
In a fight that was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 before Brian Ortega’s day-of pull-out due to a 103-degree fever, Lopes ended up making a statement scoring a win in a featured bout at Noche UFC 306.
Lopes managed to drop Ortega in the fight’s opening minute, but Ortega managed to survive a follow-up flurry from the rising featherweight contender.
The former featherweight title challenger was rocked again during the second round, with Lopes landing a head kick before knocking him down with a vicious leg kick. That combined with a series of leg kicks throughout the fight appeared to do damage and leave a welt on one of Ortega’s legs.
Lopes rocked Ortega hard with a combination in the third round, dropping him once more, though Ortega was able to get up and throw down until the final horn.
Diego Lopes Puts On Dominant Display In Victory Over Former Title Challenger Brian Ortega
Lopes earned respect in his UFC debut, a short-notice loss to Movsar Evolev at UFC 288, and he’s now won five straight since.
Ortega, meanwhile, has now lost three of his last four, including an unsuccessful challenge of Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 266 in September 2021.
Noche UFC 306 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins! The upcoming pay-per-view event at the Sphere in Las Vegas provides a chance for UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. After unseating Aljamain […]
After unseating Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 and withstanding a challenge from Marlon Vera in Miami this past March, “Sugar” is next tasked with stalling the championship ambitions of Merab Dvalishvili to continue his reign atop the 135-pound mountain.
The celebration of Mexican Independence Day will also see the nation’s own champion in action, with Alexa Grasso set to defend her flyweight gold in a trilogy contest opposite Valentina Shevchenko.
Ahead of the event, all 20 fighters successfully made weight. With that, every fight has remained intact, and all that remains on Friday night is for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC 306 ceremonial weigh-ins!
Check out a live stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, commencing at 10 p.m. ET.
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen wants to know why more people aren’t being “hyped up” for one important Sphere showdown this weekend. Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will stage its second annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day on Saturday, Sept. 14. Rather than the T-Mobile Arena, this year’s edition of Noche UFC will take […]
Tasked with topping the lineup are two champions in bantamweight kingpin Sean O’Malley and flyweight queen Alexa Grasso. Before “Sugar” defends against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event, the Mexican will complete her trilogy with Valentina Shevchenko.
Different predictions are flying for the contest, which comes a few months after their UFC 303 co-headliner fell through on the day of the event due to sickness suffered by “T-City.”
After that debacle, Sonnen sees the fight as one of the most highly anticipated of the year. But the ex-middleweight and light heavyweight contender doesn’t believe the promotion has done justice to that…
Sonnen: There Is A ‘Very Bizarre Feel’ Around Ortega vs. Lopes
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen looked ahead to this weekend’s major PPV event in Las Vegas, specifically the most marquee bout on the undercard.
That has baffled “The American Gangster,” who went as far as to describe the fight as one of the most “sought-after” of 2024 thus far.
“Brian Ortega, Diego Lopes — this thing is so wildly interesting,” Sonnen said. “Talk about a backstory, by the way. You know how helpful that is? … When you promised the world a fight and then all of a sudden you take it away. But it’s not being promoted, guys. Why is that? I’m just asking a question, making an observation. Why is it not being promoted?
“This is one of the most sought-after fights in a period of time. Can I say all of 2024? Short-term memory with a little bit of exaggeration, yeah, it’s one of them. Absolutely it is,” Sonnen continued. “There is a very bizarre feel around this contest. There is a bizarre feel because nobody’s covering the contest! people are not talking about it. People are not getting you hyped up about it. That’s very peculiar. … This is one of the great fights of 2024. This is the most under-promoted fight of 2024.”
While it may not be getting spoken about to the extent it should be in the build-up, both Ortega and Lopes will look to ensure that the leading headlines surround their winning performance on Sunday and the days that follow Noche UFC 306.
Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is surprised at how wide the odds are for Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes’ upcoming Sphere showdown. Below two championship headliners that will see Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso put the…
Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is surprised at how wide the odds are for Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes’ upcoming Sphere showdown. Below two championship headliners that will see Sean O’Malley and Alexa Grasso put their titles on the line, there’s little doubt over which undercard bout carries with it the most intrigue and […]
Noche UFC (UFC 306) takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! After staging its latest pay-per-view event Down Under in Perth, Australia last month, the promotion’s September offering sees a first-of-its-kind show inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere. Tasked with aiding in an unforgettable night […]
Tasked with aiding in an unforgettable night are a pair of championship headliners, the second of which will see bantamweight kingpin Sean O’Malley top the lineup in defense of his gold against the in-form Merab Dvalishvili.
The Mexican Independence Day celebration will also see one of the country’s own defending her title, with Alexa Grasso completing her trilogy with all-time great Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event.
Elsewhere, fast-rising featherweight fan favorite Diego Lopes and former two-time title challenger Brian Ortega give their matchup a second go, while the likes of Irene Aldana and Raul Rosas Jr. also take to the cage.
Noche UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili Weigh-In Results
Noche UFC 306 takes place Saturday, September 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT.
See above for a live stream of the Noche UFC 306 weigh-ins via MMA Fighting, commencing at 12 p.m. ET, and check out the full results below!
Main Card:
Bantamweight Championship Main Event: Sean O’Malley (C) vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Flyweight Championship Co-Main Event: Alexa Grasso (C) vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes
Lightweight: Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics
UFC featherweight fan favorite Diego Lopes has his sights set on two options for his expected matchup at the Sphere this September. Lopes’ outing at this past weekend’s UFC 303 pay-per-view event was among the biggest stories throughout International Fight Week, as he co-headlined in incredible circumstances. After answering a short-notice call to face Brian Ortega on […]
After answering a short-notice call to face Brian Ortega on the June 29 card following the original co-main event falling through, the Mexican-based Brazilian stepped up once again when “T-City” couldn’t make the featherweight limit last Friday morning.
On fight day, however, Lopes found himself back on the scales, this time to weigh in for a 165-pound catchweight contest against Dan Ige. That came about after Ortega was struck by illness hours before UFC 303.
Lopes ultimately emerged victorious over his late-notice replacement opponent, grinding out a unanimous decision victory across three rounds of action inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
Pre-fight, Lopes had already announced his intention to make the turnaround to fight at the Sphere in September. And having gone above and beyond last week, it would appear that the UFC is unsurprisingly set to grant that wish…
Lopes Calls For Rescheduled Ortega Fight Or Volkanovski Clash At The Sphere
During a backstage media scrum at T-Mobile Arena, Lopes reflected on his tumultuous fight week and victorious performance at UFC 303 while in conversation with reporters.
Responding to a question regarding his next fight from Caroline Pearce of TNT Sports, the Mexican-based Brazilian reiterated his plan to make the walk inside the Sphere for Riyadh Season Noche UFC.
And the surging featherweight also had a couple of opponents in mind…
“I would really love to fight on the Sphere (card). If you think about this, it’s such a special day, Mexican Independence Day weekend. I live in Mexico. It would be amazing to fight,” Lopes said. “They could just basically reschedule the fight against Ortega, I’d love that.
“If that’s not available, I’d love to have a fight against Alexander Volkanovski. I think that would be a great fight as well,” Lopes continued. “I think we need to sit down with the UFC and check what the plans are, but I think it should be somebody in the top five that I should be fighting with.”
When quizzed on the possibility of rescheduling Ortega vs. Lopes for the September 14 event during his post-event press conference, UFC CEO Dana White noted that the promotion needs to gauge “T-City’s” availability and plans.
Volkanovski, meanwhile, has been taking a break from competition ever since losing the featherweight title in violent fashion against Ilia Topuria in February.
While he’s been firm in stating that the gold will be on the line in his comeback fight, perhaps the allure of the Sphere could tempt the Australian to do battle with one of the division’s fastest-rising names.
