Diego Lopes was introduced by UFC play-by-play man Brendan Fitzgerald as “fresh off one of the best fights of the year” at Friday’s UFC Vancouver Q&A, where the featherweight was one of three guests on hand to field questions from fight fans.
Despite the card coming in Canada, where Quebec’s Marc-Andre Barriault and Mexican-Canadian Loopy Godinez in theory should have been home country faves, it was Lopes (27-7) doing the heavy lifting from the outset. As popular as ever, fresh off a big win over Jean Silva.
Question number one – where do you get your hair cut? Seriously. Well, it’s a Q&A, not a media day. The question to end all questions came a little later, when Lopes was asked who would win in a “tickle fight” and why: himself, or Max Holloway?
“That’s a weird question, bro” interjected Fitzgerald, saying out loud what everyone in attendance was thinking.
A few more serious questions did head Diego Lopes’ way on Friday, including whether he’d be open to a rematch with Movsar Evloev. The pair first met a few years back when Lopes stepped into the UFC on short notice; the Brazilian lost a decision, but wound up jumping over Evloev and getting to a title shot first.
“Yeah. Now I think the division is a little bit mixed. After my win, I put my name again for the title. I don’t know what’s happening in the division now, but the people know me. I’m fighting for everyone, any time, anywhere.”
Lopes also mentioned Yair Rodriguez at the tail end of that answer as a possible opponent. Yair’s name was brought up by fans in Vancouver again and again on Friday.
Asked if the fight with Yair made sense given Rodriguez has just one win in the past few years, Lopes responded by saying “I don’t know if this fight has sense, but this guy never fights. Like your last fight was the same day I fight with Volk, but after this, he disappeared. Fell off the map.”
Later, Lopes was asked whether he felt Rodriguez had been ducking him.
“This fight was supposed to happen in Mexican City,” stated Lopes, who trains in Mexico. UFC Mexico City took place at the end of March. “I accepted the fight, but this guy never responded to the UFC. After this, they sent me the fight for the title, and this guy started talking.”
Lopes wound up losing to Alexander Volkanovski for the title vacated by Ilia Topuria, but having bounced back against Silva, he’s right back in the mix. And if it’s Rodriguez he faces, Lopes has a prediction: he’ll submit his rival with an arm-triangle.
