‘See you in Abu Dhabi!’
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Surging featherweight contender Diego Lopes just put himself one step closer to a UFC title shot.
Well, sort of.
On Friday, Lopes took to social media to announce that he’ll be the official backup to the upcoming 145-pound title fight between UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and former titleholder Max Holloway, who currently holds the “BMF” title. Topuria will defend his title for the first time against “Blessed” at the upcoming UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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“Officially back up for the fight on October 26th. See you in Abu Dhabi,” wrote Lopes via Instagram.
Lopes has been on an absolute tear and you could make a good case that he deserves the next UFC featherweight title shot. The 29-year-old is now 5-1 inside of the Octagon since making his debut just 19 months ago. This includes a recent unanimous decision win over former title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC 306 inside the Sphere. After that fight, UFC CEO, Dana White, revealed that Lopes was someone the promotion was looking at as a backup for UFC 308’s main event.
Now it’s official.
Unfortunately for Lopes, Topuria and Holloway are probably the two least likely featherweights to pull out of a fight. Crazier things have happened, though, so maybe Lopes gets a short-notice chance to claim UFC gold. If not, he could fight for the title next year or lock horns with former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
