Diego Lopes aims for a UFC title shot and is open to fighting Alexander Volkanovski or being a backup fighter for the UFC 308 main event, but he refuses to rematch Movsar Evloev unless guaranteed a title opportunity.
Diego Lopes wants UFC gold—or at least a shot against a legend. His recent victory over Brian Ortega at UFC 306 catapulted him to No. 5 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.
Despite this success, Lopes isn’t keen on facing No. 4-ranked Movsar Evloev, who handed him his last defeat. That fight was a short-notice decision loss back in May 2023, marking Lopes’ UFC debut.
Since then, Lopes has been on fire, winning five straight with three finishes and two post-fight bonuses. Evloev, on the other hand, has only fought once since their bout, defeating Arnold Allen via decision.
Evloev even offered a rematch to Lopes for UFC 307 after Aljamain Sterling pulled out due to injury. But Lopes isn’t biting unless there’s a title shot on the line.
“The only way this fight happens is if the UFC says, ‘Win and you’re next for the belt,'” Lopes told MMA Fighting. He emphasized he wants a full camp and isn’t interested in short-notice fights.
The UFC featherweight championship will be decided on Oct. 26 when Max Holloway challenges Ilia Topuria in Abu Dhabi. Lopes aims to be the backup fighter for that main event.
“If that doesn’t happen, fighting [Alexander] Volkanovski in December is an option,” Lopes said. Both fighters dislike waiting, making it an appealing matchup.
Volkanovski ruled as UFC featherweight champion from 2019 to 2024 but has lost three of his last four fights. Two of those losses were to 155-pound champ Islam Makhachev, and his latest defeat came by knockout from Topuria.
Lopes is “available and willing” to face Volkanovski either as the headliner for the Dec. 14 Fight Night in Tampa or as a co-headliner at UFC 310 a week earlier in Las Vegas.
“The Volk fight would be very interesting,” Lopes noted. “He adapts well to everyone’s style—until he fought Topuria.” Lopes believes he can also adapt well to shorter opponents, making it an intriguing matchup.