Diego Lopes responds to accusations of 'queue jumping' for the belt: 'Go complain to the UFC'

Diego Lopes celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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Diego Lopes doesn't seem worried about criticism from those who believe he 'jumped the queue' in the featherweight (up to 65,7 kg) title fight. Representing Mexico in the UFC, the Brazilian was defeated by Alexander Volkanovski in April 2025, recovered with a victory over Jean Silva in September of the same year, and now has become the target of questioning after receiving a rematch against the Australian at UFC 325, scheduled for the 31st.

In an interview with 'MMA Fighting', Diego Lopes stated that criticism would occur regardless of who was chosen to face the champion. According to 'El Brabo', a title fight always generates dissatisfaction, as part of the public would find reasons to contest either option. The Brazilian emphasized that both deserve the opportunity because they are undefeated, but stressed that he only accepted the fight offered by the UFC and that any complaints should be directed to the organization.

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“Nobody’s going to say no to a title fight, right? So, like, people are going to criticize any decision the UFC makes. If the UFC were to give the fight to Movsar Evloev , people would criticize: 'ah, but the guy hasn’t fought in a year.' If they gave the fight to Lerone Murphy , another group of people would criticize too. They gave me the fight and people are criticizing. So, like, people are never going to be happy with anything, you know? Of course they deserve the opportunity, they are two undefeated guys… So, like, that’s not something that bothers me. If people want to be angry, if people want to criticize, they should complain to the UFC, not to me for accepting a fight,” said Diego Lopes.

Volkanovski was expecting new rivals before his rematch with Diego Lopes in the UFC.

Despite not complaining about facing Diego Lopes for the second consecutive time, the featherweight champion (up to 65,7kg) had hoped to face other opponents. In a video published on his YouTube channel, the fighter revealed that he was working with the expectation of facing names like Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev in December, candidates that he himself had publicly challenged.

“We thought about Lerone Murphy in December, Movsar, Lerone Murphy … I thought those were the two guys, those are the guys I called,” said Alexander Volkanovski.

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