Las Vegas — Featherweight Diego Lopes entered UFC 306 ranked #13 in the promotion’s 145lb division. Coming out of it, he can expect to be ranked much higher.
Lopes (26-6) earned a unanimous decision win over former title challenger Brian Ortega, but the scorecards didn’t tell the full story. Lopes, a Brazilian living in Mexico where he serves as Alexa Grasso’s BJJ coach, knocked down down and nearly finished Ortega early in the fight. From there on it was smooth sailing, with Lopes extending his win streak to five straight.
“My goal was to give a message to the whole division, that I’m a well, complete, rounded fighter. And I think I was able to do that,” Lopes told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight, which took place at The Sphere in Las Vegas. “If I want to strike for 15 minutes I’ll do it, if I want to wrestle for 15 minutes I’ll do it. I think I left my message pretty clear tonight.”
With Lopes’ close ties to Mexico, it’s no surprise his was rooting for the nation, with UFC 306 doubling at Noche UFC, designed to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, and the country’s fighting spirit. The spectacle at The Sphere was top notch in terms of the visual display, though Team Mexico did struggle on the night.
“I’m a little bit upset about all the Mexicans that lost their fight tonight,” Lopes admitted, commiserating with his adopted home. “I wasn’t unhappy with my win, but I wanted more Mexicans to win. But you know what this is, man, this is the toughest sport in the world. You can’t always get what you want. So a bit upset about that.”
Lopes, who called for a title shot following his win over Ortega, will likely jump up the rankings this week. Ortega, after all, had been ranked #3 in the featherweight standings. That now gives Lopes the sort of resume to enter the title conversation— and whether a title shot is forthcoming or not, it seems Diego Lopes will be happy to fight in Las Vegas again, where his last three fights have transpired.
“I would love to go and travel and fight in other countries, but if all the rest of my fights happen in Vegas, I’m down to [do] that. I’m happy with that. I’ve got everything I need here, so I’ll be happy to fight the rest of my fights here.”
Watch the full UFC 306 post-fight press conference with Diego Lopes above.
