LAS VEGAS – Diego Lopes plans on fighting to get his name in title contention, no matter what may happen with his opponent beforehand.
At UFC 306, Lopes (25-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on former title challenger Brian Ortega in a rescheduled bout from UFC 303. Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) became ill on fight day, but Lopes still competed against Dan Ige, who stepped up on just a few hours’ notice.
This time around, Lopes will be ready to rock again, and doesn’t care how Ortega makes it to the cage, whether he comes in heavy on the scale or not, which has also been an issue of his in the past.
With a victory, Lopes sees himself in prime position to earn a shot at Ilia Topuria’s featherweight title.
“I think that with a great fight against Brian Ortega, that puts my name on the table to be considered for a title shot, especially with some of the statements made by Ilia, I think that helps as well,” Lopes said through an interpreter during a media scrum at a UFC 306 open workout. “I think it all depends on me. Having a great fight and finishing this fight against Ortega puts me in a contendership for the title.”
You can check out Lopes’ full media scrum in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
