Diego Lopes

Diego Lopes Looking To Add Another Belt To The Collection At Fury FC 52

Diego Lopes’s dreams of reaching the UFC are from over. 

The former LUX Featherweight Champion would earn his shot to compete for a UFC contract on the Contender Series just a month ago. However, he would fall short of the finish line in the fight. Lopes would suffer an eyepoke which rendered him unable to continue in the bout.

With the foul coming in round 3, a point would be taken from his opponent and it went to technical decision. The judges would not see it for Lopes, they would score it for his opponent Joanderson Brito. (29-28 x3) 

After the fights, UFC boss Dana White praised Lopes for entering the contest on short notice. He also said they’ll see him back on Contender Series (or possibly the UFC) sometime soon. 

Lopes hasn’t been exactly waiting for a call from the UFC though. Instead, he has been hard at work, training his butt off. He is a man with something to prove. Just a week after fighting on Contender Series, Lopes signed with Fury FC and will be fighting for the vacant featherweight title. 

Lopes is scheduled to meet Richardson Nate in the main event of Fury FC 52 on October 17th in Houston, Texas. With a UFC call potentially on the horizon, Lopes isn’t underestimating his next opponent. 

“I know he is a tough opponent.” Lopes told My MMA News. “He has good kickboxing and a good fight in him. I’m confident in the work, I’m doing, we came up with a good plan for the fight.”

“What the fans can expect is the usual Diego. We always seek to finish the fight, either by TKO or submission.”

Lopes has already made a name for himself in Latin America. The Brazilian fighter would conquer the competition over in that part of the world, along with capturing gold in Mexico. Lopes would become the LUX Featherweight Champion where he would defeat UFC veterans such as Marco Beltran and Masio Fullen. 

The LUX golden boy would maintain a clean record of 5-0 within the promotion. Lopes had won 7 of his last fights before entering the UFC Apex in August.

He looks to capture another world title upon his promotional debut under the Fury FC banner. 

“It would mean a lot (to win a Fury FC title),” Lopes said. “I have been working on it for a long time. My goal is always to win titles for the companies that I pass. Fury is giving the opportunity to get this belt, and I will not miss it. I will tend to add one more to the collection”

With championships captured in multiple organizations, it will be hard for Dana White to not dial Lopes’s number. 

However, should the opportunity not come right away, Lopes is willing to put in the work to get it. 

“We hope so, but if it does not arrive, I will continue working, fighting as soon as possible to continue looking for that opportunity.”

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Chris De Santiago
Chris De Santiago is a 19 year-old journalist out of Texas. He is the founder of his own media outlet, MMA Island as well as the editor-in-chief of MiddleEasy. His work has been featured on LowKick MMA and Asian Persuasion MMA. He has done over 150+ interviews with the likes of Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Stephen Thompson, Demetrious Johnson, and more.