A key featherweight bout will go down at UFC 306 when former title challenger Brian Ortega and rising star Diego Lopes meet in the cage.
Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) and Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) first were set to meet in June at UFC 303, but the fight fell apart on the day of the event after Ortega fell ill. That set up an unprecedented scenario in which Las Vegas resident Dan Ige fought stepped in on hours’ notice to fight Lopes, who accepted and won by unanimous decision.
The victory was Lopes’ fourth in a row. He also holds UFC wins over Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini and Sodiq Yusuff.
Ortega is looking for his second consecutive win after beating Yair Rodriguez. Prior to the cancellation vs. Lopes, Ortega told MMA Junkie he was preparing for a shift to lightweight, but that apparently isn’t happening at UFC 306.
DraftKings released the odds for the bout, with the fight listed close as Lopes is a slight -170 favorite, with Ortega a +142 underdog.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
