New York, NY — Diego Lopes put on a big performance on a big stage at UFC 295 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday.
Following a knockout victory over Pat Sabatini, a former CFFC champ, Lopes was both satisfied with his performance, and adamant that there was more work to be done.
“I feel very happy. Very content with the work that I have done, but I still have to improve a lot of things,” Lopes (23-6) told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at MSG. “But as you can see the work that I put in today was enough to come out with the win.”
Many felt the stoppage in Lopes vs. Sabatini came a bit late, a question Diego Lopes addressed after his victory. “I do feel that after I got that first strike there, things kind of went downhill from there. I feel maybe they could have stopped it,” he admitted. “You know what, the refs know what they’re doing. I know my work, I know my job, I know what I need to do and the refs need to know their job and what they need to do. I think they were doing what needed to be done at that time.”
After the win, Lopes called for a fight with Bryce Mitchell, a desire he reiterated backstage.
“Let’s see what the rankings are on Tuesday, but I think if I’m ranked, I feel that fighting Bryce Mitchell would be a good fight. I think he’s somebody that’s been looking for a five-round fight. So why not have a main event? If the UFC wants it, I’ll be right there to fight him.”
Watch the full UFC 295 post-fight press conference with Diego Lopes above.
