Diego Lopes revealed that the UFC compensated him for stepping up as the official backup fighter for the lightweight title bout at UFC Freedom 250, after he volunteered to weigh in a second time on fight week.
Lopes (28-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) opened the card with an impressive knockout victory over Steve Garcia, but before fight night he took on an unusual additional responsibility. After learning that Arman Tsarukyan would no longer serve as the official backup for the lightweight championship main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, Lopes reached out to UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell and offered to fill the role himself.
The Brazilian featherweight had already successfully made the 146-pound featherweight limit before returning to the scale less than an hour later to weigh in at 154 pounds, making himself eligible as the backup for the lightweight title fight.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, Lopes explained how the opportunity came together.
"Yeah, so when me and my manager (saw) Arman is not coming to the fight week for the backup, I just did tell him. 'Hey, do you think I can text Hunter for asking for backup the fight?'" Lopes said. "He said, 'You sure?' I'm like, 'Yeah. I just needed to jump (on) the scale again, so it's no big deal.' He said, 'Ok, text him.' I texted Hunter, I asked Hunter. Hunter said, 'Hey, you serious?' I said, 'Yeah, if you need, I can do this.' He said, 'Okay, if you want, I talk to the people for an official backup.'"
The move was highly unusual, as Lopes had already cut weight for his own featherweight bout before weighing in again at lightweight to serve as an emergency replacement for the championship fight.
Following his knockout win over Garcia, Lopes also made it clear that he was fully prepared to step into the main event if necessary.
"Yeah, of course. I'm serious," Lopes said. "I never make a joke like that. So always, if you need it, if you still need it, I'm here. The people know me. This is not the first time I do crazy things in my career."
Lopes also confirmed that the UFC rewarded him financially for taking on the backup role, adding another payday to an already successful night after earning a highlight-reel finish in the opening bout of the event.
