On the night of June 30, the next numbered tournament UFC 303 will take place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Arena. Most of the poster was put together literally at the last minute. One of the fights that was organized literally at the last minute was the confrontation between Brian Ortega and Diego López.
The surprising thing here is not just that the fight was arranged two weeks before the tournament. Lopez is ranked 14th in the featherweight rankings and now, 13 months after his UFC debut, he gets a fight with the number three in the division and could well become a title contender. Diego more than justifies his status as last year’s brightest newcomer.
Lopez’s background is in jiu-jitsu, and those who followed the Brazilian’s performances could repeatedly see that this fighter has a very rich arsenal. Already at the age of 16 he possessed a purple belt, and two years later he made his debut in MMA, and in many ways this happened by chance.
UFC 303 Main Events:
Live
UFC 303: Champion’s revenge and Samurai, battle of the brightest welterweights. LIVE
“Before my debut, I didn’t really train in MMA. I was just practicing jiu-jitsu, helping my brother at his camps. One day they offered him a fight with a boy who had just debuted and he refused. Then my brother invited me to perform; The fight was still a month away. I said, “Yeah, great, I’m always ready to compete in jiu-jitsu.” He says, “No, this is MMA.” “I agreed anyway and we’ve been here ever since.”
A year later, Lopez became so proficient in jiu-jitsu that he was invited to train in Mexico. He accepted the offer, began performing in local promotions, and then fate led him to Grozny, where he competed in the ACB: Young Eagles tournament and lost by knockout to Amir Alzhukarov.
“In that fight I saw that I needed to improve a lot. If I had been successful, I would have won the fight. Anyway, this happened, I returned to Mexico very angry, I decided to train in Guadalajara for a week to see what it was like for me there. Everything was going well and I stayed at Lobo Gym for a month,” Lopez recalled.
Diego Lopez
Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
The first thing Lopez planned to improve in the new gym was his striking technique. Diego performed in the LUX Fight League, where he became a champion and was waiting for an invitation to the UFC. There was a delay in this because Lopez had visa problems, but in 2021 he got a chance at Dana White’s Contender Series, where he lost by technical decision to Joanderson Brito. Two years later, Diego finally ended up in the world’s top promotion, agreeing to save the fight at UFC 288.
Many remember very well how López came out on short notice and had a brilliant fight with the undefeated Movsar Evloev. At least three times the Brazilian seriously threatened submissions and did so with great inventiveness. Armbar, triangle, knee lever – Lopez tried literally everything, lost by decision, but won over all the fans and UFC management. Despite the defeat, the debut was considered successful. And before the end of 2023, Diego had two fights and in both cases he faced his opponents within a minute and a half: first, Gavin Tucker was caught in a hard guillotine, and then Pat Sabatini was mercilessly knocked out.
More on Lopez’s UFC debut:
Then you won’t catch Khabib. Evloev barely made it past his UFC debut
It became clear to everyone that Lopez is not only a guy with a strange and memorable hairstyle, but also an extremely dangerous fighter in all aspects. Then Diego got a fight at the prestigious UFC 300, and with a rather strong opponent from the top 15, Sodiq Yusuff. It seemed that it would be more difficult for Lopez here, but after a minute and a half he again ran over his rival and stormed into the ratings. By the way, he did this against the same Brito who defeated Diego on the Contender Series.
After the third early win, Lopez addressed his recent aggressor: “Next, I want to have a rematch with Movsar Evloev at International Fight Week. I think our first fight says a lot, and the fights that followed as well. I deserve a rematch. It’s funny that I say my biggest achievement is a close fight with him. I like to call him “Mr. Solution.”
Fight between Diego López and Movsar Evloev
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Lopez didn’t get to fight the number five ranked Evloev, but he will fight Ortega, who is even higher up. A jackpot for the new rising star of the UFC. It’s no coincidence that the Brazilian is already talking about the potential title winner: “If I win against Ortega, I’ll have every reason to fight for the title. I’m very motivated, this is the most important fight of my life.”
The fight with Ortega will take place at lightweight, but there is still a chance that one day Evloev will be interested in a rematch with Lopez, and not the other way around. A year later, it is no longer surprising that the Brazilian gave a close fight to Movsar even on short notice. Diego’s fantastic rise continues. He fights often, accepts any fight, finishes his opponents, and only questions remain about his hairstyle.
Ortega is certainly high-level opposition, and the main question is whether López can handle such heights. And if the answer is yes, then Diego will be able to fight for the title in his next fight.
