If Diego Lopez wins the vacant featherweight title against Alexander Volkanovsky at UFC 314, his first business is to deal with his only octagon defeat.
Lopez (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will enter the opportunity for his first championship with Volkanovsky (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) at the headliner on April 12th at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+Pay-Perview, ESPN, ESPN+).
All of these victories came just after Lopez, who dropped his promotional debut to Movsar Evloev in a fight that briefly notified at UFC 288 in May 2023.
Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) holds an undefeated record several years later, and by merit it is the belt’s most appropriate next contender. Lopez intends to give him a late rift of money so that he can revenge the loss of his first defence.
“Of course, this fight is important because this guy beat me in the past,” Lopez told MMA Junkie on Friday. “But it’s not. It’s not. I’m on top. There’s this guy too. I might fight for the title. I’m very excited about the next step, but my focus is on Volkanovski.
Not only does Lopes, 33, sees Evloev, 30 as the ideal opponent for his first defence, he also thinks it has a perfect timeline. Although Lopez was born in Brazil, he spent more than the past decade with roots in Mexico.
The September 13th UFC 320, also known as the Noche UFC, will land in the residential city of Guadalajara, Mexico. Whether it opposes Evloev or not, he said he would compete on that card.
“100%, this is my goal. I’ll win the battle next week and ask the UFC to fight in Guadalajara,” Lopez said. “For me, defending the title in Guadalajara, Mexico is special because I lived in Mexico for 10 years. I live in Guadalajara, and there are a lot of people who support me.
For more information about the card, see the MMA Junkie Event Hub at UFC 314.
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