Diego lopes after victory in UFC 306 (Photo: Instagram/UFC)
No UFC 308, held in October in Abu Dhabi, Ilia Topuria kept her promise and pointed to the center of the octagon, inviting Max Holloway for an exchange of punches early in the featherweight title fight (up to 65,7 kg). Although Holloway made the gesture famous within the UFC, he declined the champion's invitation. Diego lopes, in turn, stated that he would accept the challenge without any problems.
In an interview with the YouTube channel 'Hablemos MMA', the Brazilian based in Mexico stated that, despite respecting all fighters, he is not afraid of the power of any opponent. He declared that, if he were invited to a frank fight against Topuria, he would not think twice before accepting.
“Absolutely. I’m telling you, I respect everyone, but I’m not afraid of anyone. If there’s one thing I don’t have, it’s fear. I think I’ve shown that in all my fights. I’ve shown that I’m not afraid of anyone. As many times as he wants to point to the ground, I’ll plant my feet in the middle of the octagon and fight. It’s that simple,” said the fighter from Manaus.
Unfortunately for Holloway, although he declined the fight with Topuria, he ended up being knocked out after two even rounds. This was the Hawaiian's first knockout loss in 34 career fights. Despite competing in the same weight class as Max, Diego lopes, leaving aside his 'fighter mode', admitted as a fan that it was difficult to see the 'Blessed One' being defeated in this way for the first time.
“As a fan, I think it hurt all of us to see Max Holloway “I think that’s what happened in that situation. Imagine, I think all MMA fans have been watching Holloway for years and we’ve never seen him in a situation like that. We never imagined that it would happen, and when it did, it was a big surprise. But credit to Topuria, he did a great job. He did what he said he was going to do. He delivered on his promise,” said the third-ranked featherweight.
Diego lopes made his UFC debut in May 2023, accepting a last-minute fight against Movsar Evloev. Although he posed a threat, the Brazilian based in Mexico ended up being defeated by unanimous decision. Since then, Lopes has accumulated five victories, two by knockout and one by submission. His most recent triumph was over Brian ortega in the emblematic UFC 306, held at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
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