Diego Lopes holds no ill will toward Brian Ortega after UFC 303, hopes for Sphere rebooking
Diego Lopes wishes nothing but the best for Brian Ortega after an illness threw a monkey wrench into their UFC 303 showdown Saturday. He also hopes they get booked again.
After Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) withdrew from their co-main event clash at T-Mobile Arena, Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) faced four-hour-notice replacement Dan Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC), who he defeated by unanimous decision.
âI told you (Friday): Anyone, any time, anywhere,â Lopes told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. âIâm going to fight every time. No problem.â
The attitude and actions displayed by him in the lead-up to UFC 303, that included taking a short notice bout, adjusting to an opponent missing weight, and then accepting a fight day opponent switch, had UFC CEO Dana White signing Lopesâ praises after the eventâs conclusion.
White promised Lopes will have a spot on the promotionâs UFC 306 card at Sphere, an event dedicated to the celebration of Mexican Independence Day. Born in Brazil, Lopes is a Mexican resident.
Lopes hopes the Ortega bout can finally get done then and there.
âAll the respect to Brian,â Lopes said. âWe actually had information from the camp whenever that happened that he actually tried to make weight. I understand that he wasnât able to make it to this fight. I hope he is good in health and I have absolutely no ill will toward him.
âIf the UFC can actually reschedule that fight against Brian Ortega, Iâll be very happy. If they can reschedule that for the Sphere, even happier. ⊠Yes, Iâm happy â and put me in the top five.â
Brian Ortega: Fighting For Something Bigger
Lopes, 29, has risen to stardom over the past 13 months since he accepted a short notice bout vs. Movsar Evloev in May 2023. The bout, which he lost, gained him notoriety for his competitiveness against a ranked opponent.
The theme of adapting to adversarial circumstances is something thatâs followed Lopes, but itâs also what he attributes his success to.
âI think with everything that happened in the past 48 hours, people need to put respect on my name,â Lopes said. âI think Iâm ready to fight anyone in the top five. ⊠This is what my life has been. My life has been about windows of opportunities. It happened. Look at my first fight. Look at my debut in the UFC. It basically happened with two days of traveling on a five daysâ notice to fight.
âI have a great team to work with. What we did I think was basically a sit down. We found out with this team that this was a great opportunity and weâre ready for the fight and weâre going to take it all in.â
Itâs unclear what Ortegaâs next move will be and if heâll stay at featherweight. He told MMA Junkie in the lead up to UFC 303 that he previously committed to a lightweight move prior to the offer.