Fight fans and UFC featherweight division – if you didn’t believe in Diego Lopes, do you now?
In a fight that was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 before Brian Ortega’s day-of pull-out due to a 103-degree fever, Lopes ended up making a statement scoring a win in a featured bout at Noche UFC 306.
Lopes managed to drop Ortega in the fight’s opening minute, but Ortega managed to survive a follow-up flurry from the rising featherweight contender.
The former featherweight title challenger was rocked again during the second round, with Lopes landing a head kick before knocking him down with a vicious leg kick. That combined with a series of leg kicks throughout the fight appeared to do damage and leave a welt on one of Ortega’s legs.
Lopes rocked Ortega hard with a combination in the third round, dropping him once more, though Ortega was able to get up and throw down until the final horn.
Diego Lopes Puts On Dominant Display In Victory Over Former Title Challenger Brian Ortega
Lopes earned respect in his UFC debut, a short-notice loss to Movsar Evolev at UFC 288, and he’s now won five straight since.
Ortega, meanwhile, has now lost three of his last four, including an unsuccessful challenge of Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 266 in September 2021.
