LAS VEGAS – Diego Lopes wishes nothing but the best for Brian Ortega after illness threw a wrench into his UFC 303 clash Saturday. He also hopes they will be charged again.
After Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) withdrew from the co-main event clash at T-Mobile Arena, Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) faced replacement Dan Ige (18-8 MMA , 10-7 UFC), who he defeated via unanimous decision.
“I told you (Friday): Anyone, anytime, anywhere,” Lopes told MMA Junkie and other reporters in a post-fight press conference. “I will always fight. No problem.”
The attitude and actions he demonstrated in preparation for UFC 303, which included taking a fight at the last minute, adjusting to his opponent’s lack of weight and then accepting a change of opponent on fight day, caused the CEO to of the UFC, Dana White, signed Lopes’ praise after the conclusion of the event.
White promised that Lopes will have a place on the UFC 306 promotion card at Sphere, an event dedicated to the celebration of Mexican Independence Day. Born in Brazil, Lopes is a resident of Mexico.
Lopes hopes the fight with Ortega can finally end right there.
“All due respect to Brian,” Lopes said. “In fact, whenever that happened, we had information from camp that he was actually trying to gain weight. I understand he was unable to attend this fight. I hope he is in good health and I have absolutely no ill will towards him.
“If the UFC manages to reschedule this fight against Brian Ortega, I will be very happy. If they can reschedule this for the Sphere, even happier. … Yes, I’m happy – and it put me in the top five.”
Lopes, 29, has achieved stardom in the last 13 months since accepting notice fight against Movsar Evloev in May 2023. The fight, which he lost, earned him notoriety for his competitiveness against a ranked opponent.
The theme of adapting to adverse circumstances is something that accompanies Lopes, but it is also to this that he attributes his success.
“I think with everything that’s happened in the last 48 hours, people need to respect my name,” Lopes said. “I think I’m ready to fight anyone in the top five. … This is what my life has been. My life has been about windows of opportunity. It happened. Watch my first fight. Watch my UFC debut. Basically it happened with two days of travel with five days notice to fight.
“I have a great team to work with. What we did, I think, was basically sit down. We discovered with this team that this was a great opportunity and we are ready for the fight and we will take advantage of everything.”
It is unclear what Ortega’s next move will be and whether he will remain at featherweight. He told MMA Junkie before UFC 303 that he had already committed to a lightweight move prior to the offer.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 303.
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