Diego Lopes eyes lightweight move after being squeezed out of featherweight title picture

Diego Lopes is targeting a move to lightweight after concluding that another featherweight title shot is unlikely to materialise while Alexander Volkanovski remains champion. The Brazilian made the admission following the UFC White House event on June 14 in Washington D.C., where he knocked out Steve Garcia before serving as the emergency backup for the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje lightweight title unification bout on the same night.

Lopes has lost twice to Volkanovski in featherweight title fights, and despite a résumé that includes wins over Jean Silva, Brian Ortega and Dan Ige, he acknowledges the path back to a third shot is blocked for now.

“As long as Volkanovski doesn’t retire, it’s going to be hard to get another title shot,” Lopes told MMA Fighting. “I’d have to be rooting for him to lose, but I’d rather see him retire as champion, because he was such a great champion for the division. Seeing him walk away with the belt would be something really special.”

With that door largely closed, Lopes says his conversations with UFC brass have already shifted toward 155 pounds. “I have this desire to move up to 155 and take on an exciting fight,” he said. “I think there are some great matchups for me in the top five or top six, fights that fit my style really well. I had a conversation with the UFC this past weekend and we actually talked more about the lightweight division than the featherweight division.”

Lopes weighed in twice on the night of the White House card — 146 pounds for his bout with Garcia and again as the official backup for the lightweight title fight after original backup Arman Tsarukyan was unable to attend. He was paid an undisclosed sum for the double weigh-in and had rehydrated to 166 pounds by the time he walked to the octagon.

He explained that the backup role came together quickly after Tsarukyan’s absence became clear. “When we realized Arman wasn’t going to make it, I told my manager to text Hunter Campbell and see what he said,” Lopes recalled. “The worst he could say was no. Hunter actually surprised me — he said, ‘Wait, are you serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m serious.’ Then he gave me the green light.”

Gaethje ultimately stopped Topuria to unify the lightweight belts, meaning Lopes’s services as backup were not needed. His focus now turns to which top-ranked lightweight the UFC will match him against next.