Nashville, TN – UFC featherweight Diego Lopes is back in the octagon, this time with a full camp, to face Gavin Tucker at UFC Nashville this Saturday night.
“Feeling great. Obviously having the time to prepare. This was actually 10 weeks exactly so feeling much more in peace actually having that time, and just enjoying fight week,” Lopes told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.
Lopes (21-6) comes off a short-notice fight against Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 in May. Lopes made for a very competitive fight which saw him put Evloev in trouble multiple times.
“It was so good to feel the love of the fans because it was a long time coming. I worked a lot to get there. It wasn’t a win, but I’m very happy and just happy to actually have the recognition for what I’ve done in that fight,” he said.
In Tucker he gets a scrappy fighter with good striking, but definitely a solid ground game which has fans wanting to see how their grappling matches up.
“This is a guy actually that comes in. A tough dude to fight. Someone that’s got a lot of experience and a lot to show for in the UFC,” he said.
“It’s a good matchup for me. Someone that likes to work striking, and likes to take people down. So I think I’m ready and I do think he’s a good matchup for me.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Diego Lopes above. He takes on Gavin Tucker at UFC Nashville on Saturday night.
