"I want to fight Yair" - Diego Lopes senses nerves in Yair Rodriguez, pushes for title-bound clash

Diego Lopes is fairly set on returning to the octagon this September, and as he does, he has a specific opponent in mind. After falling short on his last featherweight outing against Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant strap, Lopes has shifted his focus to UFC San Antonio and initially wanted to clash against Yair Rodriguez.

However, Rodriguez's response seemed to indicate that he had little interest in making the bout happen. With the Mexican fighter being uninterested, Lopes's frustration is fueled.

Although the talks of a bout with Rodriguez remain undecided, Lopes remains focused on climbing his way back into title contention. He is ready to accept any top-ranked opponent the UFC puts in front of him- be it Jean Silva, Arnold Allen, or another name in the mix.

Lopes recently spoke to MMA Fighting and said:

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"I think this guy is so nervous in the video. This guy is talking a lot of words, but have no sense or context in your words. Now, for me, it's [any] fight the UFC sends me, I'm OK. I want to fight Yair, but Yair say nothing, I don't know. Maybe Jean Silva, Arnold Allen, everyone that's in the ranking, I'm waiting for the fight. Now in my position, I lost my title fight, I think I need only one big fight for me [to fight for] the title again."

Check out Diego Lopes's comments below (Courtesy: @Cagesidepress on X):

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Diego Lopes welcomes UFC BJJ as a game-changer for grappling

Diego Lopes expressed excitement about the launch of UFC BJJ and spoke about his long-standing connection with jiu-jitsu and strong belief in the platform's capacity to change the sport.

For an athlete raised in the grappling world, the UFC's adoption of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in a dedicated fashion signifies less of an expansion and more a long-overdue recognition and structure for the art he cares about so deeply.

Lopes said:

"I can't even describe how emotional I am right now with UFC BJJ coming up. It's something that will come to revolutionize jiu-jitsu and evolve it. It's a completely different market, right? It gives a very good support to everybody to have what's necessary and get even more attention and professionalism, so I think it's very good. I'm truly emotional because I come from jiu-jitsu, so seeing what the UFC is creating for everybody on BJJ is something very emotional."

Check out Diego Lopes's comments below:

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About the author

Proma holds a bachelor’s degree in English. She is an active combat sports practitioner who’ll soon
be making her amateur debut in MMA.
This jiu-jitsu blue belt’s favorite fighter is Georges St-Pierre for his resilience and consistency. A WWE fan, she turned to MMA after watching Brock Lesnar’s success in the sport.
While writing her articles, Proma likes to verify information and confirm its accuracy online through
various sources and articles. Being an active competitor with real-time experience also helps her to explain the intricacies of the sport. She strives to channel this passion into creating engaging content that resonates with readers while shaping her craft as a writer.
Her hobbies include jiu-jitsu (which she's been doing for four years) and striking (one year).

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Edited by Subham