UFC 306’s Diego Lopes excited to be on Ilia Topuria’s radar: ‘He’s saying my name for a reason’

Diego Lopes has been on a roll inside the Octagon.

One of Mexico’s brightest young stars has put the Featherweight division on notice with no time wasted after a short-notice arrival in 2023. Putting up a valiant effort against top undefeated 18-0 contender, Movsar Evloev, Lopes lost a unanimous decision before stringing together a thrilling four-fight winning streak.

Lopes, 29, has the biggest fight of his 31-fight career (25-6) on deck when he battles two-time title challenger, Brian Ortega, at Noche UFC’s UFC 306 this weekend (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024). Should Lopes come out victorious, he expects to be incredibly close to his goal of a title shot and believes it’s helped that the champion, Ilia Topuria, has mentioned him in recent interviews.

“It’s great that he actually mentioned this because if he’s saying my name, it is for a reason,” Lopes told Shak MMA. “You’re telling me a champion that goes out there and mentions the No. 12 guy in the rankings … If he literally mentions my name, to be the next potential title contender. That means he’s aware and he’s seen what I’m doing.

“That just gives me more motivation to go out there, do my job, get this win,” he concluded. “So that way my name is on the table to be the next title contender.”

Before Lopes and Topuria can think about the possibility of competing against each other, they have to win their scheduled match ups. In his first title defense, Topuria will be challenged by the former champion and all-time great, Max Holloway, at UFC 308 next month (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024).

LIVE! Watch UFC 306 PPV At The Sphere On ESPN+ Here!

NOCHE UFC AT THE SPHERE! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stage a once-in-a-lifetime pay-per-view (PPV) extravaganza on Sat., Sept. 14, 2024, to honor Mexican Independence Day during Riyadh Season, an unlikely mashup topped by the Bantamweight main event between reigning champion, Sean O’Malley, and sliced-and-diced No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili. In UFC 306’s championship co-headliner, current Flyweight titleholder, Alexa Grasso, will settle her score with fellow Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32 coach, Valentina Shevchenko, in the final fight of their epic 125-pound trilogy. UFC 306’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng, and so much more! It’s must-watch action from “Sin City!” UFC 306’s start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (Prelims card) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 306 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 306 fight card and PPV lineup click here.