Diego Lopes Says UFC Nearly Booked Him Against Dan Hooker Before Signing Salahdine Parnasse

The former featherweight star Lopes will take on the former lightweight champion Oliveira at UFC 335 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 12 December.

Oliveira will defend his BMF title inside the T-Mobile Arena, while Lopes will make his 155-lbs debut. However, Lopes revealed Oliveira wasn’t the first option. 

Diego Lopes Was Offered Salahdine Parnasse

Ahead of his lightweight debut, Lopes revealed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that Hunter Campbell offered him the Dan Hooker fight in Paris. But was changed the very next day. 

"Hunter called on Monday and said, 'Maybe... was like a fight with Dan Hooker in Paris.' I said, 'Okay, I'm down. I don't care.' But next day, he said, 'No, like, already was... was like signing the guy, so let's check the next one,'" Lopes said. 

Salahdine Parnasse, a prominent name in ‌European MMA, defeated Dan Hooker by first-round knockout in his debut. With the win, he has made his presence known in the lightweight division. Interestingly, Lopes now has a chance to do the same. 

Lopes Enters The Lightweight Division

UFC’s featherweight division is stacked, and Diego Lopes (28-8) was one of them. Lopes started his UFC journey with a loss in 2023. 

However, later he racked up five straight wins and earned a shot at the title. He fought twice for the belt but has suffered defeats at the hands of Alexander Volkanovski.

Nevertheless, both of Lopes’ title fights are considered ‌the best performances of his career. Now he will face one of the lightweight division’s best in the main event of UFC 335. 

Charles Oliveira will have the size, strength, and experience advantage as he is a natural lightweight. The Brazilian also possesses elite grappling. 

However, Lopes has often proven his ground game against the likes of Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. He also brings in serious knockout power, making his lightweight debut an intriguing one.