UFC featherweight contenders Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev recently exchanged heated words on X, much to the MMA community's amusement, adding fuel to the already unclear matchmaking situation in the division.
Lopes navigated a tumultuous lead-up to his short-notice fight at UFC 303 last Saturday. Despite the chaos, the highly regarded featherweight contender extended his winning streak, triumphing over Dan Ige, who accepted the bout just a few hours before the showdown.
With Brian Ortega unable to compete, Lopes chose to remain on the card and face Ige, who resides near the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and heroically stepped up when the UFC needed him most.
Lopes had his fair share of success with both striking and grappling throughout the first two rounds of their fight. However, Ige mounted a fierce comeback in the final round, pushing the Brazilian to his limits. Despite this, Lopes secured the victory, with all three judges unanimously scoring the bout 29-28 in his favor.
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Following Lopes' triumph, Evloev took to X to propose a rematch against his former opponent at Noche UFC (UFC 306), slated for September 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The undefeated Russian's challenge came out of apparent frustration with Aljamain Sterling's reluctance to schedule a fight.
"Hey, @Diegolopesmma, I wanna give you a rematch at the Sphere because @funkmasterMMA is running for his life, and this time, I’m gonna finish you."
Lopes swiftly fired back at Evloev, accusing him of ignoring his previous callout for a rematch.
"Have you finally realized that the way the UFC pays attention to you is by mentioning my name? Or are you afraid that tomorrow morning I'll be in your place in the rankings? It took you 3 months to get back to me. Sit back and watch the big guys do the work."
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The two fighters first clashed at UFC 288 in May 2023, where Lopes made his promotional debut on less than a week's notice. Although he was a fresh face up against a top-ranked opponent, Lopes delivered an impressive performance, narrowly losing a decision in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Following their initial bout, Lopes has been nearly unstoppable in the UFC, amassing a four-fight win streak. In contrast, Evloev has only competed once, securing a unanimous decision victory over Arnold Allen in January.
Only time will tell if this duo gets the chance to settle their score. However, Lopes has already laid down the gauntlet, expressing his desire to either fight with Ortega or challenge former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at the UFC's highly anticipated event in September.
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