LAS VEGAS – Many assumed it, but now we know Diego Lopes’s mentality and approach towards a UFC title shot.
Unlike many fighters, Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) says he’s not the type to sit and wait all while campaigning for a title shot if victorious this Saturday against Brian Ortega in the co-main event of UFC 303, which goes down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Although there’s a case to be made for a title shot if Lopes were to get his hand raised this weekend, the Brazilian wants to fight often, whether a belt is on the line or not.
“If Max (Holloway) vs. Ilia (Topuria) gets booked, I don’t want to sit and wait,” Lopes told reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 303 media day. “I would talk to the UFC and get them to book me against whoever wants to fight.”
There’s been speculation of a potential featherweight title fight between champion Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway for later this summer. Although nothing is official, it looks like a likely outcome at 145 pounds.
If the fight were to go down, Lopes sees it as a very competitive affair, but he has to side with “Blessed.”
“It’s a very interesting fight,” Lopes explained. “We know that Ilia is young, and he goes forward and has a lot of knockout power. However, Max has shown to have the best chin in the UFC. He’s never been knocked out. He’s never been knocked down – well, I don’t know if the fight against (Justin) Gaethje counted as a knockdown.
“I think Max has a lot of experience with every type of fighter. He did have a little difficulty fighting someone shorter like Volkanovski, but we’ve also seen Ilia have issues with much taller fighters, like that fight where he was knocked down. I think this fight is very interesting, but I lean a little bit more on Max’s side.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.
