Athletes
Diego Lopes' Ascent To The Title
Less Than Two Years Into His UFC Career, Diego Lopes Has Quickly Become A Fan Favorite And Gets His First Crack At UFC Gold Against Alexander Volkanovski At UFC 314
Since Diego Lopes made his debut at UFC 288 in Newark last May, he has been a star.
The featherweight stepped in on days’ notice to face Movsar Evloev, who is now ranked No. 3 in the 145-pound division. The two went all three rounds, with Evloev leaving with his hand raised, but the fight put the spotlight on Lopes, who almost finished Evloev a handful of times. From there, it has been nothing but a quick rise into the Top 15 for the Brazilian, who now gets a chance to claim featherweight gold when he faces former champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314.
Order UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes
Three months after his debut, Lopes faced Gavin Tucker in Nashville. Compared to his debut, it was a short night in the office as he submitted the Canadian via armbar 1:38 into the fight.
The first-round finishes continued as he made his way to Madison Square Garden in New York last year to face Pat Sabatini. This fight showcased that Lopes isn’t just a threat on the ground, but also possesses striking abilities. He knocked out Sabatini at 1:30 of the first round. That marked three fights for Lopes in 2023, and despite losing his debut, it certainly didn’t hurt his stock as he quickly became a fan favorite.
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Less than a year after making his debut, Lopes competed on one of the biggest cards in UFC history, UFC 300. It was a big step up in competition as he faced a ranked opponent for the first time in his UFC career, Sodiq Yusuff.
Lopes passed another test with flying colors, finishing Yusuff at 1:29 of the first round. After that win, Lopes had finished his last three opponents all within two minutes. By defeating a Top 15 opponent, Lopes punched his ticket to the rankings and continued to show why he was one of the breakout fighters of 2023.
Two months after Lopes competed on the historic UFC 300 card, the UFC called him on short notice to be added to UFC 303 during International Fight Week, when Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler was canceled. Getting a call on two weeks’ notice to fight on this card wouldn’t even begin to explain the craziness that Lopes would about to experience.
MORE UFC 314: Fight By Fight Preview | Volkanovski Looks To Reclaim Throne | Fan Events Schedule
The 29-year-old was originally scheduled to face former featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega, another big step up in competition and his first Top 5 opponent. However, hours from the fight, Ortega withdrew due to a medical issue. This left Lopes without an opponent. In a crazy turn of events, the issue was solved, and Dan Ige stepped in to face Lopes within a matter of hours. An unprecedented event on another big card. Lopes would go on to defeat Ige by unanimous decision, extending his win streak to four.
Lopes capped off his 2024 campaign with a huge win over Brian Ortega, last September during a history card inside Sphere for UFC 306. Despite almost finishing "T-City" in the first round, Lopes needed all three rounds to pick up the victory, but put on a dominant performance that put him in title conversations. It marked his fifth win inside the Octagon in only 13 months.
Just one month later, champion Ilia Topuria went on to defend his title against Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi. After knocking Holloway out in impressive fashion, many thought the next to face "El Matador" would be "The Great" in a rematch that many fans wanted to see. But that wouldn't be the case, as Topuria announced a few months ago that he would be vacating the title and moving up to the 155-pound division.
Saturday's matchup between Lopes and Volkanovski is very intriguing, as Lopes looks to claim gold less than two years into his UFC career, while Volkanovski is hungry to get his belt back and start a new reign as a two-time featherweight champion. One thing is for sure, the fans inside Kaseya Center are in for a treat when these two make the final walk of the night in Miami.
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 12, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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