For numerous protagonists of mixed martial arts (MMA) worldwide, the protagonist of the year in the UFC has been Ilia Topuria (16-0). The featherweight champion won his title in February against a legend like Alexander Volkanovski and successfully defended it in October against another historic one like former champion Max Holloway, knocking out both fighters and leaving the international MMA community in shock. However, another athlete, from the same division, has emerged as one of the big surprises of the season. We talk about Diego Lopes (26-6)the Brazilian, based in Mexico, who has added three decisive victories for his career against Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige and Brian Ortega, managing to position himself as number 3 in the category.
Lopes has been asking to fight, as his next opponent, against Alexander Volkanovski, although all the pools placed the Australian as the challenger for the featherweight title, against Ilia Topuria, after he climbed into the cage in Abu Dhabi and the Spanish-Georgian verbally accept the lawsuit. However, Topuria’s statements in El Partidazo de la Cope in which he assured that he would move up a division to fight the second contender, Charles Oliveira, caused an earthquake in the UFC circle.
«It is a fight in which many things can happen. From my point of view, Ilia Topuria would definitely have more advantage in the striking part, we know that Oliveira takes a lot of hits. I believe that he can define the fight with a single blowas we have seen he has done in his past fights. Now, Oliveira’s Brazilian jiujitsu is on another level. He has proven it, not for nothing does he have the record for the most submissions in the history of the UFC. “It’s a pretty interesting fight,” says Lopes in an exclusive interview with ABC.
The truth is that Topuria’s lightweight fight is up in the air. A priori, the UFC’s plans are for the Hispanic-Georgian to continue his work in the featherweight division, defending his title. Lopes is waiting to determine his future depending on what Topuria does. «It will depend a lot on what happens in the coming weeks. If Volkanovski is going to fight Ilia and the UFC tells me that I have to fight Movsar Evloev to define the next contender, we have to do it. “I’m going to take any fight that the UFC tells me and the next fight will be for the title,” says the Brazilian from Lobo Gym.
«I am available to fight, but if Topuria is really going for the lightweight belt and is going to fight the number 2 in the category, I think that the logical thing is to leave the title vacant and, in that case, the UFC is going to have me fight Volkanovski for the title. I am number 3 and it must be taken into account that Max Holloway has just fought for the title. So I think it’s a matter of logic and making decisions more than anything. My focus is on being champion of my division,” adds Lopes in conversation with this newspaper.
What the emerging fighter is very clear about is the date on which he would like to compete. «By March I will be fine to fight. It’s a good date for me, there are good events: the one in Las Vegas, which is going to be the first week, there is a Fight Night at the UFC Apex, there is the London event and the one in Mexico City. In March I will be very ready,” concludes Lopes, one of the most attractive athletes for his fighting style at featherweight.
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