Diego Lopes has moved on from 145 lbs and confirmed he is heading to lightweight, a shift that puts his next fight in a different division and, he hopes, on a major November card at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Lopes said he wants to fight at UFC 334 on Nov. 14, and he believes the timing fits the move because he needs a little more time to settle at 70 kg. He said the UFC is already in pretty advanced talks for his next opponent and that this week should help define it.
That request comes after a rough stretch at featherweight. Lopes lost twice to Alexander Volkanovski, then returned with a knockout win over Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250. With that path behind him, the lightweight division is the way to go, he said, and the change gives him a cleaner route to a fresh challenge.
The first possible name in that new lane was Arman Tsarukyan, and Lopes was open to it. But the matchup never moved beyond a mention, and it no longer fits UFC 334 anyway because Tsarukyan is booked against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331. Lopes said he was willing, but the talks never got far enough to become real.
That leaves the UFC with a straightforward problem and a wide range of options. Lopes said he could face someone ranked in the top 10, or even the top five, right away, and he previously said he would be interested in Charles Oliveira. For now, the only thing fixed is the move itself: Lopes is leaving featherweight, aiming for New York in November, and waiting for the opponent that will tell him how high the promotion wants to place him at 155 lbs.
