Diego Lopes addresses Movsar Evloev, Patricio Pitbull as title contenders, fires back at Aljamain Sterling
Diego Lopes faces Alexander Volkanovski to crown a new UFC featherweight champion after Ilia Topuria vacated the belt to chase the lightweight throne, and the Brazilian sees two different paths for the future of the 145-pound division if he’s victorious on April 12 in Miami.
The UFC 314 headliner has only lost once since joining the roster, a short-notice decision in his debut fight against Movsar Evloev. The Russian added two more wins to his record since, moving to 19-0 following decisions over Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling. Lopes has asked for a rematch many times since, but eventually surpassed him on the title run with five straight UFC victories.
Despite some ugly exchanges between them in the past, Lopes gave props to the American Top Team athlete as a potential title challenger in the future.
“We have to be fair, and also we can’t hide what he’s done in the division,” Lopes told MMA Fighting. “It’s nine wins [in a row]. Even though it’s all by decision, the guy is undefeated in the division. He’s No. 4 in the division. Like it or not, he also defeated me. And if I win the belt, I definitely think the UFC will put him next on the line.”
Another name possibly entering the conversation is Patricio Pitbull, the greatest featherweight in Bellator history who parted ways with the PFL to join the UFC. Pitbull faces Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314, and could possibly steal momentum away from Evloev and snatch a shot at the gold with an impressive performance.
“I think it depends on how he wins the fight,” Lopes said of Pitbull. “If he wins in good fashion, and the UFC sees it as good business, I’m sure the UFC will work and see who will be the next contender.”
Both options are unique in terms of legacy for Lopes, who could either avenge his sole UFC loss or defeat the man who reigned at the top of Bellator MMA for nearly a decade.
“I think any of those two fights would be good fights for my history,” Lopes said. “To defeat one of the most decorate fighters in the division outside the UFC, or beat an undefeated Russian [laughs].”
The one thing that bothered Lopes in this whole UFC 314 booking was how former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling handled the announcement. Sterling, who lost to Evloev in his most recent bout, took to social media to defend the Russian as “more deserving” of the opportunity.
It’s safe to say that didn’t sit well with Lopes.
“It looks bad,” Lopes said. “If it’s MMA fans saying it, no problem, you take it, but fighters saying it, a former champion criticizing it, I think it makes absolutely no sense. The man knows what a fighter goes through to get to a opportunity for the title and come criticizing, saying I don’t deserve it, that it should have been Evloev. It makes no sense.
“I only laughed at the things he was saying. And when he asked what was so funny about it, the joke is that I’m fighting for the belt and they’re not taking fights. That’s the joke. It looks bad that a man that knows what it takes for an athlete to get to this opportunity criticizes it more than a regular MMA fan.”