Diego Lopes is already thinking about who he would like to face next in the event that he beats Alexander Volkanovski to become the UFC featherweight champion at UFC 314 next week.
Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will face former champion Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) next Saturday in Miami for the vacant title, following a blistering start to his UFC career.
The 30-year-old made his Octagon debut in May 2023, and after winning his last five fights in a row, he finds himself competing for championship gold in record time.
However, the defeat he suffered in his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev (prior to starting his winning streak) is still on his mind. Lopes took the fight against Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) on short notice at UFC 288, but came up short on the judges’ scorecards.
Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) remains unbeaten to this day, and many fans feel he may have been overlooked for this title opportunity. But Lopes revealed this week that he plans to call out the Russian when selecting his first title defense.
“Of course, this fight for me is important because this guy beat me in the past,” Lopes told MMA Junkie this week. “But now it’s different. It’s different things. I’m at the top, and this guy, too. Maybe we’ll fight for the title. I’m so excited for the next step, but my focus is on Volkanovski. I win the belt and I will ask the UFC for the fight with Movsar.”
Lopes was born in Brazil, but has lived and trained in Mexico for most of his career. He has strong ties to his new homeland, and would relish the opportunity to headline the recently-announced UFC 320 pay-per-view event that takes place in his home city of Guadelajara, Mexico on September 13th.
“One hundred percent, this is my goal: Win the fight next week and I will ask the UFC for the fight in Guadalajara,” Lopes said. “For me, to defend the title in Guadalajara, Mexico, is special for me, because I’ve lived in Mexico for 10 years. I live in Guadalajara. I have so much people in Guadalajara support me. One hundred percent, I will fight to defend the belt in September.”
